Technically Speaking
by AJ and Sebastian Goin
Summary: When programmers set to attend the same convention start dying, Garcia gets dragged into the field. Eventual Morcia.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Sorry for yet another hiatus. Got busy with life, holiday planning, vacation (where I got to go to some INCREDIBLE writing seminars), holidays, and now OT season at work. I have several chapters written, but they're shorter than normal for me. I'll be posting them every couple days while I work on more. I'm in the thick of overtime season at work so weekday writing currently depends heavily on what my mandates are so no guarantees of how fast we'll get it finished.

Muse's Note: This hiatus is my fault. I wasn't being cooperative the few times AJ sat down to write. The workshops last month inspired me. Let's hope it stays that way.

Disclaimer: The most valuable things I own are my bed, laptop, and TV. Therefore, I do not own CM, as much as I wish I did.

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><p>I really didn't <em>mean<em> to slam my office door behind me, but I didn't mean _not_ to either. And I regretted it almost immediately. It wasn't thirty seconds after the door closed that it opened again, more slowly than I had shut it. By the time he stuck his head through the gap I had dropped my bag on the floor and slid it beneath my desk.

Derek's eyes darted around, making sure I was safe and alone out of habit before he pushed the door the rest of the way open and stepped through. He turned to close it behind him and I took the opportunity to drop _myself_ into my chair and roll into position at my desk.

"What can I do for you my Adonis?" I was fairly sure he was going to see straight through my B.S., but it was worth a try.

He didn't even bother rolling his eyes at me as he moved toward me. In one smooth move, he pulled me back from my desk, moved my keyboard and mouse to the side, perched his firm backside on my desk, and pulled me back within easy reach of himself. I tried desperately to avoid his gaze, but he stuck a single strong finger under my chin and tilted it until I was looking directly into his liquid chocolate stare.

"Spill it Mama."

There was no use in trying to _not_ tell him. Derek Morgan could read me like a book. A children's book. One that was mostly pictures. But just because I had to tell him didn't mean I had to _tell_ him. I sighed loudly to buy myself a few moments to think, but darn him, that man's mind is like a steel trap. Nothing leaks out.

"Wait, you were supposed to be having lunch with Sam today. Why are you back early? Did he cancel on you? Because I can totally call him up and give him hell. He hasn't seen you in weeks between you going to Cali on that case with us and then him being gone on vacation."

Darn him again for being so sweetly protective. I am _not_ going to cry. "He didn't cancel on me."

Oh come on! Not the big bad 'Agent Morgan: interrogator' face! So unfair! "Then why. Are. You. Back. Early? And slamming doors?"

I sighed again. Darn. DarnDarnDarn. So much for not telling him. "Because he dumped me!"

He froze completely for a second, which is pretty much how I had reacted when Sam had laid it on me. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed and darkened and his entire body stiffened. "I'll kill him. What sorry ass excuse did he give you?"

I patted him on the arm, calming myself as much as him. "The lame 'I reconnected with an old friend at the reunion'."

I was glad I had left my hand on his arm because he tried to launch himself off the desk. Luckily I was already in place to push him back down. "Don't, okay D? It's not a huge deal. It's not like things were serious with us anyway. I'm more mad than I am hurt. I bailed on my Monday lunch with JJ just so he could dump me!"

Not. Going. To. Cry. He would take that the wrong way. I'm really not hurt, and that kinda surprises me. But I _am_ an angry crier and that would propel him into full Hulk mode and I much prefer confusion to fury.

"Pump your breaks. What do you mean things weren't serious? Seemed pretty serious to me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "So did you and Savannah and you guys split up too. Hell, you were all set to move in together. Looks can be deceiving. As far as I knew, he didn't _want_ anything serious. And I didn't either. Therefore, it wasn't serious."

Now _he_ sighed. And rolled his eyes at me. And relaxed his shoulders.

"If you say so Princess. And don't compare your relationships to mine."

Now _that_ was a debate we've had before, many times. And I've always lost it because he's more self depreciating than I am and has a longer attention span. Thankfully, I was saved from us having it again by the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at it briefly before returning it from whence it came.

"Hotch needs me in the bullpen. Don't make any plans for tonight. You and I are going to have dinner and a drink and lament on the pains of being single."

I had barely mumbled out an agreement (which I did mostly because of there was a serious lack of both food and alcohol in my apartment) when he was gone. I stared at the closed door for a long minute trying to figure out how I had lucked into having such a great best friend. Unable to come up with an answer, I shook my head to clear it and spun back toward my desk. Losing myself in work for the next five hours would definitely be therapeutic.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: For the record, we're pretty sure of where this is going, we're just enjoying taking our sweet time getting there. There's going to be more case in this fic than what we're used to so it's harder for us to write that stuff.

MN: We're going to try to post a chapter every other day. Hope you enjoy today's update.

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><p>I had assumed we would grab dinner out with a glass of wine and a mutual bemoaning of our love lives. Instead he had instructed me to meet him at his house. He had stopped for takeout (a master chef my Baby Boy is not), so I had arrived first.<p>

That was no big deal. I had a key, had for years. I hadn't been over in... I'll just call it a while, so Clooney was über excited to see me. I somehow managed to get him calmed down enough to herd him through the door in the kitchen. By the time I brought said pup back inside and got him fed, I could hear Derek's car in the driveway.

I met him at the door, liberating the takeout bag from his hand. He dropped his go bag, leaving one more bag in his grasp.

"What's that, my love?"

He reached into the plastic bag and withdrew a paper one then pulled the bottle within out. Vanilla Vodka. So much for a glass of wine.

I shook my head at his shining grin. "Oh no. It's a school night. No liquor."

Oh crud. He had turned on the puppy dog eyes. "Just one drink, Angel. I think we have earned it."

Darn him! He knows I can't resist that face, which is exactly why he gave it to me. I suppressed a groan.

"We'll see, _after_ dinner." I set the bag of food on the coffee table an opened the top. "Whose turn is it to pick the movie?"

"Mine." He disappeared to the kitchen as I sorted his food from mine. He returned with a pair of bottles of water and deposited them on the table before approaching his entertainment center. He, apparently, knew just what he wanted, selecting a case immediately and setting about inserting the disk into the player.

He grabbed the remote and unceremoniously deposited himself onto the middle couch cushion. I tucked myself into the corner spot and we both took a moment to adjust ourselves and gather our food before he picked up the remote, powering on his oversized TV.

My fork was halfway to my mouth when the title screen came up and I froze, turning to look at him. "Really, Love Bug? 'Finding Nemo'? You actually own this?"

"You don't?" His tone was laced with as much incredulity as mine had had a moment earlier. "Who _doesn't_ love this movie? It's all about family, friendship, loyalty, and acceptance, with enough action to keep you hooked. Plus, it's adorable."

His demeanor had shifted to 'slightly defensive' so I reached over to pat his arm. "I agree with you whole heartily, Sugar. I'm just surprised a little is all."

He instantly relaxed. "Okay then. Are we done chatting?"

"Absolutely. On with the show."

We fell into a companionable, easy silence as we ate and watched the movie. Once we had both had our fill of Thai takeout, he paused the movie. I moved to help him clean up, but he insisted I remain where I was. He took both the trash and leftovers into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a glass in each hand. At first glance, it appeared to be cola, but I knew better. I was positive both contained a liberal pour of that vodka.

I started to protest, but he gave me _that_ look again and I sighed. "Fine. Just one. And I really have to head home after the movie, so it better not be strong."

He grinned widely, handing me one of the glasses before depositing himself back on the couch beside me. "It's not strong, Gorgeous. Scout's honor."

I took a sip and cringed at the potency of the taste. "You, Sugar Muffin, were _never_ a Boy Scout."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry we haven't replied to reviews. I managed to catch the nasty cold running around at work so I'm struggling to think coherently when I'm being paid to do so. When I'm on my own time, I'm pretty useless. Tea flush will start today so hopefully I'll be feeling better by the weekend.

MN: Ummmm, yeah, she hasn't had coffee since Saturday. I'm dying here!

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><p>"Morning Garcie!"<p>

Oh frack! Why was JJ always so perky in the morning? And why was her perky self in my lair? I forced one of my eyes open behind my sunglasses and swallowed against the bile in my throat. "You need something, Peaches?"

I turned toward her slowly. A fast spin would absolutely result in the upheaval of my toast, aspirin, and coffee. When my vision finally focused in on her face, she was staring at me in blatant surprise.

"Oh. My. God. Are you hungover?" Each of her words rang like a hammer strike in my skull.

"Yes, so could you scold me quietly?" I knew it sounded snippish, but I was _feeling_ snippish.

To her credit, JJ lowered her voice. "I'm not scolding; I'm surprised. You _never_ drink on a weeknight beyond a glass of wine. What happened?"

I heaved out a sigh. I really didn't want to talk this out with here, but there was no way she was going to let this go. "Sam dumped me yesterday, so I went to Derek's for what was _supposed_ to be dinner and **a** glass of wine and a mutual pity party. What I got was dinner and a vodka and coke just strong enough to make me stupid enough to accept another. And about three more after that. And then I passed out on his couch."

She was slack jawed again and I had a feeling she hadn't followed the entirety of what I'd said. "Sam _dumped_ you?" Shock gave way quickly to anger on her face. "That no good, rotton son of a..."

"JJ!" I didn't entirely disagree with her words so much so as the volume at which she was speaking them.

"Sorry." Yes. Quieter. Quieter was good. "What happened?"

I waived my hand dismissively, certainly not up for _that_ story at the moment. "It's not important. What's important is that my head feels like it's going to explode and you and I have a meeting with Bossman, Super Agent, and The Chief in an hour. I'm pretty sure I can _see_ sound right now."

I could actually feel JJ shift into 'Mommy Mode'. "Right. Turn out the lights and relax. Deep breaths in through your nose. I'm going to my office for my hangover kit. I'll be back in a few minutes."

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><p>I had to admit, JJ was full of hidden secrets. And, apparently, her office was too. Her hangover remedy worked like a charm. Tylenol and an ice pack took the edge off my throbbing head and eyes, and the caffeine in the maté chai tea she had brewed for me banished the pain almost completely as the ginger settled my stomach. I had managed to walk into our meeting sans sunglasses as well as tackling the rest of the day without drawing attention to myself.<p>

I had a group to lead that evening, but after it was over I planned to head straight home to bed. I actually managed to sneak out of my office close to on time and was just getting into the elevator when I remembered why I felt like I was forgetting something.

"Hold the door, Baby Girl." Morgan. He had driven us both to work as I had been _far_ too hungover to safely take my own car.

I punched the button to keep the door open until he joined me. "Sorry, My Love. I temporarily forgot that we had car pooled today."

He looped his arm casually around my shoulders as the door shut. "You _were_ pretty out of it this morning. But, I knew you had a meeting tonight, so I told Hotch I had to leave on time." He pulled me closer so he could reach to check his watch. "Okay, so on time _ish_. Do you think we have time to go get your car or should I take you straight there?"

I yanked his arm down so _I_ could see his watch. "I'd be cutting it close. If we hit any traffic, I'd be late. Can you drop me off at the church and I'll get a ride to your house after?"

We reached the parking garage level and he left his arm draped around me as we exited toward his SUV. "Nonsense. I'll stick around until it's over. We can get dinner after and _then _I'll return you to Esther and you can abandon me."

Years of experience told me it was pointless to argue with him. "Fine, but _no_ alcohol. None. Nada. Zippo. Zilch."

He chuckled as we approached the passenger door of his behemoth of a vehicle. "Okay, deal."


	4. Chapter 4

AN: It's been a rough week so I haven't gotten any more writing done. Hoping to change that tonight and tomorrow so I can keep up the current posting schedule, but no promises.

MN: When she gets stressed out, I get stressed out so neither of us can write. Sorry.

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><p>It was really amazing. Over the last few weeks, things had returned to our own weird version of 'normal'. Derek and I were hanging out all the time like we used to. We hauled the Boy Wonder along with us a few times. He was still taking Blake's resignation hard, despite how well he got along with Kate and I was determined to keep his spirits up.<p>

Today, however, was just my Stud Muffin, his motorcycle, the open road, and, of course, yours truly. The weather was perfect. Warm but not hot. Sunny with white fluffy clouds. We hadn't really had a destination in mind when we'd left his house that morning. We had ridden until we were hungry then stopped for lunch and turned back toward home.

We were about an hour from his house when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. There was no feasible way to answer it on the back of a motorcycle, so I let it go to voicemail. A minute later, Derek pulled off into a parking lot. He brought us to a stop and waited for me to climb off before rising himself. I had my helmet off first and began digging for my phone.

"You too? Has to be Hotch."

He sighed as he withdrew his own cell from his pocket. "Is a whole weekend without a murder when the weather is nice too much to ask?"

"I know, Love." I was about to hit the button to call our boss back when the phone vibrated in my hand and displayed Hotch's ever serious face. I answered and immediately hit the speaker button. "How may I help you, oh crusher of dreams?"

As always, he completely ignored my wit and got straight to business. "I need you in the office ASAP. Morgan with you?"

"Yeah, Hotch. I'm here. We're about twenty-five minutes out." He was already pulling his helmet back into place.

"Okay. See you then."

He disconnected and I shoved my phone safely back into my pocket. I shoved my own helmet back on and in moments we were once again flying down the street, our previous relaxation replaced with tension.

Thanks to the favor of the Traffic Light Goddess, we made it to the Federal building in Quantico in twenty minutes. The gate slowed us down a bit as we had to fish out our IDs and remove our helmets to get through. The parking garage held the proof that we were likely the last to arrive. Hotch, JJ, Kate, and Rossi's vehicles were all present and one of them had likely retrieved Reid.

We made a quick stop in our offices to grab our tablets and deposit our helmets then hustled to the round table room. Sure enough, the rest of the team was waiting there, and they all had their serious faces on.

Hotch stood as we entered. "Thanks for making it in so quickly everyone. I know we weren't supposed to be on call this weekend, but a case has come up that we are uniquely qualified for." He picked up my remote and clicked it twice. A half dozen pictures appeared on the screen. "In the last two weeks, local PDs in six jurisdictions across three states have investigated suspicious deaths. All were ruled homicides, but no forensic evidence was found at any of the scenes."

"If they were scattered across state lines and there were no forensics, how do we know they are connected?" The question Rossi posed was the same as the one on my mind.

"I'm getting there. A common acquaintance of all six tipped the FBI off. All of our victims are highly skilled computer programmers, set to attend the same conference next week in Cleveland."

And there it was. The reason why this case _had_ to go to our team. Me. "Are we talking your run of the mill geniuses for hire, or are we talking _my_ kind of programmers?"

Hotch actually twitched half of his mouth up into a smile. "We're not sure. They do all have history of legitimate programming jobs, but no one has been able to get into any of their computers yet. We're having them all brought to the FBI office in Cleveland. Garcia, we need you on the ground for this one. Do you have a go bag here?"

My heart dropped into my toes. I was absolutely not a fan of being in the field...or field office in this case. "Yes, sir. It's in my office."

"Alright, everyone grab your bags. We'll finish briefing in the air. We're wheels up ASAP. Morgan and Reid, help Garcia with any equipment she needs to bring.

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><p>The flight from Quantico to Cleveland isn't a long one and we had six case files to go over, so I was setting up shop in an empty office before Derek managed to get me alone.<p>

He was still wearing the jeans, tshirt, and leather jacket he had been when we'd been on the motorcycle, but his belt now supported his gun, FBI ID, cell phone, and handcuffs. "Hey Princess. You have everything you need?"

I opened a laptop and hit the power button. "I could use some more surface space. And a couple of power strips. The techs are on their way up with the vics computers. I guess it's like fifteen in all, which of course means that we by no means have all of their hard drives because what self respecting geek only has three?"

"I'll see what I can do." He turned toward the door then stopped and looked back. "How many hard drives do _you_ have?"

The smile I gave him was deliberately coy. "I plead the fifth because I'm technically required to register them all with the FBI as part of my deal and there may be some new additions that haven't made it on the list yet."

He shook his head and exited the room.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: I'm feeling accomplished. It's before noon and brunch has been made and consumed and dinner is in the crockpot. The advantage to you: I have the rest of the day to write, so I'm going o go ahead and post another chapter today. Hope you enjoy!

MN: She feels accomplished. I feel sleepy. It's a good thing she has a beta reading this before she posts.

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><p>As the door to the office in which I was sequestered opened behind me, I immediately rolled my eyes. "What part of 'get out and stay out' are you not able to comprehend? I can't think of a way to simplify it more than using monosyllabic words."<p>

"Penelope, are you not playing nicely with the locals?" Derek's voice was a pleasant surprise.

I turned from the laptop I had been working on to look at him. "Their so called 'technical experts' are more of a hindrance than they are a help. So, I banished them. And they keep trying to worm their way back in. Anyway, what can I do for _you_, Hot Stuff?"

He plucked my jacket from the hook by the door. "_You_ can pack it in for the night. The team's about to grab dinner and you're coming with."

I glanced around and shook my head "I'm not even into half of them yet. Bring me back something. I'll stay and keep talking to these babies."

"Oh no, you won't. Hotch's orders. We have a long way to go on this case. Dinner and a good night's rest are mandatory." He had his stern face on. I couldn't win against his stern face, especially when it was backed by an order from Hotch. And based on the smug look in his eyes, he knew it. Darn him.

I dutifully retrieved my purse, followed him out of the office and locked it up. I let him help me into my coat, because, hey, what girl doesn't like to be treated like a princess now and then?

Only a few blocks separated the FBI office from the hotel JJ had booked us into and the team had already decided the Japanese restaurant next door sounded good for dinner, so we hunkered down into our jackets against the rain and made a quick walk of it.

The team was already sitting at a large table, along with a woman I recognized as being from the FBI office. Derek helped me from my coat and we took the last two available chairs, landing me between my prince and Super Agent.

Hotch raised an eyebrow, but his focus remained on his menu. "That didn't take as long as we expected. What'd you have to promise her?"

I mustered what I hoped was an offended look. "He didn't _promise_ me anything. He told me I was under orders from you, Sir."

Even though I had given the response, when Hotch lowered his menu, he once again was speaking to Derek. "When I told you to do what it took to get her out of the office, I didn't mean to bring me into it, Morgan."

JJ cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention. "Garcia, this is SSA Sandra Parish. She runs the unit we've invaded. Agent Parish, this is Penelope Garcia, our Technical Analyst."

I smiled at the agent across the table, flanked by JJ and Hotch "Nice to meet you. Thanks for the space."

She returned the smile. "Thanks for chasing the tech guys from downstairs away. They are a pain. You have to teach me how to do that."

"Will do."

A waiter appeared and we all shifted our attention to ordering until he disappeared to the kitchen. Hotch took advantage of the quiet to focus the attention of the table. "Alright, let's all bring each other up to speed. Rossi and Reid?"

Reid shrugged. "Nothing to share. Original forensics reports seem to be pretty accurate. Still no links in the evidence between the victims."

Rossi nodded in agreement. "We've got squat."

Hotch nodded and shifted his gaze. "Callahan? Morgan?"

Kate shook her head as well. "We've dug through the personal lives of all of our victims. Other than this conference, we can find absolutely nothing to connect them. No common interests outside of programming, no overlap on phone records, they don't shop at the same chains of stores, never worked for the same companies. Nothing."

Hotch's face was tense as he turned to JJ. "Please tell me _you_ have something?"

JJ nodded. "I managed to track down the person that made the tip to the FBI. Heron Eckstein is being picked up by agents in Illinois and brought here. They'll be here sometime tomorrow because he refuses to fly. Something about knowing exactly how easy it is to hack into and disable the systems of most commercial airplanes."

Hotch nodded. "When he gets here, find out what he knows. Garcia, what have you got."

I sighed. "Bupkis. I have bupkis. I've been through half the computers the techs brought in and the one thing I can tell you is they weren't being used for programming. Most skilled programmers wouldn't keep anything related to their craft on a laptop or tower. It'd be on a hard drive or thumb drive. Can we get someone to go through their houses in more detail? Look for safes or hidden cabinets. Things like that?"

Hotch nodded. "Reid, Rossi, and Callahan, take the jet and head out first thing tomorrow. I'll have an FBI forensics team and a tech team meet you. You can go through the victim's homes personally. Morgan, I want you here in case JJ needs help with Eckstein and to make sure Garcia has everything she needs and doesn't forget to do things like eat and sleep. I'm going to continue to coordinate with Agent Parish and local LEOs, and I have a meeting with the chairman of the convention tomorrow."

Everyone nodded collectively as the waiter appeared with a tray of drinks. Once he'd distributed them he retreated again and Hotch looked to Parish. "Could you share with the team what you know about this convention?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Sure. GUIcon is so named because it started as a convention for graphics programmers. It's expanded rapidly since its inception twenty years ago and now welcomes programmers of all types. There's two rooms of booths set up. One room is full of programmers, displaying their talents, selling software, networking, things like that. The other room is full of corporate head hunters looking for new contractors or full time employees. They let the talent come to them, but they also send staff into the other room looking for anyone who stands out as possibly being what they are looking for. You'll find everything from startups looking for someone to design their website to Fortune 500 companies looking for a complete electronic security overhaul. The convention rules specifically restrict the offer or request for hacking services, but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Hell, if there's a rule about it, it probably _does_ happen."

She paused for a sip of her Sprite. "Headhunters and programmers come from as many as twenty countries as well as from almost every state. We've sent an undercover agent from Cyber Crimes in four years running, but haven't turned up any illegal activity. This year we're setting up a legitimate booth, looking for new talent. The FBI's need for Technical Analysts is growing and we have far too many analysts already in place whose skills are sub par for the current digital climate."

"No kidding." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and I realized the slip immediately. "Sorry. So sorry."

Parish chuckled. "No need to be sorry. The guys you chased off today are prime examples. A decade ago they were among the top in the field, but their skills haven't grown. We need to get some new blood in so we can keep up with the tech community. Unfortunately, Ms. Garcia is the exception, not the rule. Her skills are _still_ mentioned in murmurs at GUIcon and she's been out of the private sector for quite a while now."

I could feel my cheeks redden, but, thankfully, was saved from having to figure out just how to respond to that by the delivery of our meal. We had long ago agreed not to 'talk shop' while eating, mostly because our work could often put us off food, so as we ate the conversations shifted to things of a more personal nature.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: So, Sunday night I had nasty insomnia. The plus, I got mauled by a plot bunny. I know what my next story will be and it's going to go back to my roots.

MN: I don't know what _her_ problem was. I slept just fine until that vicious bunny attack.

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><p>As our empty plates were cleared, JJ pulled a stack of card sized envelopes out of her purse. "Now that you're all well fed and hopefully too full to want to shoot me, I have bad news. With all the rooms reserved for the convention, I was only able to get us five rooms. Kate and I have already agreed to share a room, but two of you are going to have to double up."<p>

Before anyone else had a chance to react, Derek's hand grabbed mine. "Dibs."

Rossi smiled at him. "You'll get no arguments. None of the rest of us want to share with anyone else. Reid stays up too late and you get up too early. And Hotch can pull rank."

Boy Wonder's jaw dropped. "Hey, no one wants to share with you either! You spend eons in the bathroom, you always have to have first choice of bed, and you are an incredibly light sleeper."

JJ sighed loudly. "Boys, I will put you in time out if you don't behave."

I shoved back from the table with a chuckle. "On that note, I'm going to swing by the ladies' room before we head back out in the wet dreary evening."

By the time I was on my feet and had retrieved my purse, Parish had done the same. "Me too. I've got a half hour drive home ahead of me."

We walked to the restroom in silence, but when I exited the stall and joined her at the sink, she broke the silence. "So, how long have you and Morgan been together?"

I froze in the middle of soaping up my hands to stare at her in the mirror. "We're not. A couple I mean."

Parish blushed and dropped her gaze. "I'm sorry, between the way you two talk to each other, and the sharing food, and then him jumping at the chance to share a room with you, I just kind of assumed..."

I smiled as I resumed my hand washing. "It's okay. He's my best friend. We're kind of how the other deals with this job. And the dibs thing was sort of a joke. The last time we were all in the field together and had to share rooms I did the same to him because I was super creeped out, and because he didn't want to share a room with Reid. The early bird and the night owl do not cohabitate well."

"I can imagine. So, what about Hotchner. He single?" Ahh. Her true motive in making this bathroom trip a party was shining forth now.

"Recently single. Semi-serious, mostly long distance relationship that ended when she moved overseas for work." I dried my hands slowly, debating if I should leave it at that or say what was on my mind. Oh frack, when did I ever _not_ say what was on my mind? "He's been through a lot. He's a single father and a workaholic. He doesn't need another long distance relationship with someone who won't take it as seriously as he does and, let's face it, Bossman takes _everything_ seriously."

I pitched my paper towel extra hard for emphasis and spun to face her, surprised at what I saw. She didn't look taken-aback and I felt like she should. Instead she looked calm. She even shrugged. "Well, it's good to know that he's the kind of guy people like enough to be protective of. As for what you said, I'm a single mom, I'm pretty sure being a workaholic is part of the job description in our line of work, I'm a _very_ serious person, and I'm being transferred to Quantico in June to replace a Unit Chief who is retiring. Did I miss anything?"

Great. Now I was the one who looked taken-aback. "Ummmm, nope. I think you touched all points of consequence."

She smiled slightly smugly. "Good, now if you'll excuse me, I want to get home in time to put my daughter to bed. Have a good night Ms. Garcia." She brushed past me and through the bathroom door, leaving me behind in stunned silence.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Both Saturday and Sunday's chapters are written and pending edit and Tuesday's chapter is about half done. I'm pretty proud of myself right now. Didn't write tonight due to a headache and don't know if I'll get anything done tomorrow. Family dinner for the bro's birthday and I'm getting my new mattress so an early bedtime might have to happen.

MN: I am not a fan of her having headaches so I didn't argue on not writing tomorrow. Friday at 5:30 pm though, I crack the whip!

Shoutout: Many thanks to JenJen who is betaing this for us because she's awesome.

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><p>"Alright, Princess. Time to call it a night. My stomach says it's dinner o'clock." I didn't have to turn around to know that he was holding my jacket in his hand. The previous night had seen the same routine as our first in Cleveland.<p>

I turned to face him and deliberately put on my pouty face that (the one that melts Derek in his tracks every time). "Can we please order in, My Prince? I'm **so** close to cracking this one and it's the last one to get through before the others get back with the other hard drives tomorrow. If I can get it cataloged tonight, it will help me get into the drives that might actually _help_ us with the case."

His firm frame softened, as did the set of his jaw. "Well when you put it that way, alright. Pizza okay?"

I smiled as my jacket was returned to the hook from which he had plucked it. "Sounds good to me. Spinach and Mushrooms?"

Half of his mouth twitched upward. "Light sauce. Extra cheese. I know. And when it gets here, you **are** taking a break."

I shot him a joking salute. "Yes sir, Mr. Tough Agent, sir."

As he left chuckling, I spun back to the table I was working at.

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><p>I had been right about being close. I was in and had backed up the hard drive before the pizza had arrived. As promised, I had abandoned my Fortress of Solitude to eat, then returned to it to make quick work of the cataloging.<p>

As with the fourteen previous computers, there was nothing to indicate any higher level programming on it, but I was able to learn quite a bit more about the laptop's owner. Any little insights would help me crack her _real_ hard drives.

Once I had everything shut down for the night, Derek and I had retreated to the hotel. Always the gentleman, my Love Bug had left me alone to shower while he went to go inform our fearless leader of our progress.

I was sitting on my bed, jammies on, rubbing lotion onto my legs when I heard a beep, followed by the lock clicking. The door opened a minuscule crack then stopped. "You decent in there, Baby Girl?"

Again, always the gentleman. "I don't know about decent. I mean, you've heard the things that can come through these sultry lips. But I'm clothed, if that was what you were asking."

He entered the room with a smile spread on his face. "You know that's what I meant. There's nothing else decent about you, Woman."

I could feel his eyes on me as he closed the door and secured it. "What?"

The timbre of his voice had dropped when he replied. "Definitely nothing decent about _that_."

I paused with my hand on my knee, just below where I'd pushed up the hem of my PJ bottoms to look up at him. "What?"

He stared at me for another moment before shaking his head and moving to pluck his own pajamas from his bed. "Nothing, Ms. Thing. I'm going to grab a shower myself." He disappeared into the bathroom before I could point out he was generally a 'morning shower' person.

I didn't have time to dwell on it before my phone rang, displaying the face of Super Agent himself. I snatched it from the bed with my less lotiony hand and slid to answer it. "Queen of All Things Electronic. Speak and be heard my loyal subject."

Rossi's deep laugh filtered softly through the speaker. "Your Majesty, I wanted to call you with the final tally. All in all we recovered twenty-four more storage devices. Thirteen hard drives, nine flash drives, and two SD cards."

And just that quickly, I was back to being overwhelmed. "Oh my. That's a lot of data."

"Nothing you can't handle, Kitten. We're going to get a hotel here for the night and fly back in the morning. We should have everything to you by 10am at the latest."

Somehow any vote of confidence from him could restore my faith in myself. "I shall be awaiting them with open arms and limber fingers. Queen out." I disconnected and dropped the phone back to the bedspread to continue my skincare regimen.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Pardon any mistakes as this is unbetaed. JenJen had a headache. So far I'm on track with keeping 2 chapters ahead writing wise, but it will mean I have to write a chapter today and one tomorrow. Oh well, I got a new bed this week that I was planning to spend my entire weekend in anyway!

MN: This has been a very special week. My brain is mush so blame AJ for all mistakes.

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><p>My head was pounding. I was going cross eyed digging through the data those hard drives had given up, but we still weren't any closer to finding our unsub. The only thing we knew for sure is that all of our victims had experience with security for remote access systems. It was the only common thread between the six.<p>

A knock at the door snapped me out of my glazed eyed thoughts and I spun to find Kate standing a short distance behind me. "Hey Penelope. Hotch wants us all in the conference room for a brainstorming session before we go to dinner."

I shook my head. "I don't have anything else to contribute yet. I'd rather stay here and keep farming through the data."

"He said it wasn't optional. Morgan told me to tell you that if you aren't in there in five minutes he'll tell Hotch about your 'new acquisitions', whatever that means." She turned and disappeared from the room.

"That dirty, rotten, manipulative hunk of man meat. He is _so_ going to pay for this." And I was officially losing it. I was talking aloud to computers that weren't even mine as I gathered my tablet and stylus.

Thirty minutes in, we were still getting no where. After a stretch of silence, Reid launched from his seat toward the white board. He snatched up the eraser and cleared the surface. "Okay, so the only thing our vics have in common is this one type of programming right? So that has to be the key." He scrawled out 'remote access software' on the board.

I shook my head. "No. That kind of coding wouldn't create the kind of payday that would be worth killing for."

He nodded. "Right. But what if it isn't about the payday?" He turned back to the board and circled the word 'access'.

It was like the boy wonder had flipped a switch in all of our brains at the same time. Rossi, who had been leaned back in his chair, sat forward. "They want to make sure they get a particular job because they want access to something on that company's system"

Hotch turned toward me. "Garcia?"

I nodded, in complete agreement with Reid's assessment. "Completely possible. If you are _given_ access to a system its easier to cover up a data breach. And if our unsub isn't quite as skilled as our victims, he probably wouldn't have the skills to hack the type of systems they would be upgrading. So he takes out the competition then shows up here and walks away with the job he wants."

It was JJ that asked the question settling into everyone's minds. "So how do we find him?"

A long silence settled over the room once again, this time finally broken by Kate. "We _have_ to send someone in undercover. They'll have to outshine our unsub to draw him out."

Hotch immediately began gathering his things together. "Right. I'll go talk to Parish. See who they have on the ground here that might be able to pull this off with Garcia in their ear. The rest of you call it a night. Let me know where you end up for dinner and I'll meet you there. He exited quickly as the rest of us began to gather our own belongings.

I grabbed my tablet as I stood. "You guys go ahead to dinner. I want to stay a bit longer."

"I don't think so." Morgan's voice was firm, but I wasn't about to back down.

I spun to face him. "Well I do. If someone is going in, I need to work my way though the rest of the data. I need to make sure they're displaying the right skill level."

He crossed his arms over his chest. Great, he was ready to do battle over this. "And you can do that tomorrow. You've been at this for six days straight now between the computers and the drives. You need to recharge those beautiful batteries of yours."

I shook my head. "No. I still have _so_ much to do and the conference starts in two days and fourteen hours."

Derek opened his mouth to continue his protests, but JJ cut him off. "Look, it's been a long day. You'll do better work after some sleep. Go grab dinner with us, Skype Henry with Spence and I, and get some rest. You can start back at it early tomorrow."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She knew playing the 'godson' card would be effective. "Fine. But only because of Henry. And I don't promise that I won't be coming back after."

JJ obviously planned to object, but it was Derek's turn to interject. "Deal. Dinner. Munchkin Skype time. Then further discussion. Now, can we _please_ go eat? I'm starving!


	9. Chapter 9

AN: It's a very good thing JenJen is back as a Beta for this one. I had mistakes a-plenty. I didn't write yesterday, so I'm going to buckle down today.

MN: I'm to blame for yesterday. I voted for quality time with the DVR and she gave in. Today it's all business.

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><p>As it turned out, further discussion wasn't required. By the time we had finished dinner and then spent nearly an hour crowded around a laptop in JJ and Kate's hotel room talking to Henry, I was done for. So, when Derek suggested we head back to our own room, I didn't object.<p>

While I spent an indulgently long time in the shower, my Knight opted to head for the hotel's gym. By the time he returned, I was adorned in my jammies and curled up on my bed with a book. By the time he was done with his own shower, I had abandoned the pretense of reading and was just blankly staring off into space.

"Earth to Baby Girl. Come in Baby Girl." His voice was soft and held a definite edge of concern. It was that edge that pulled me from my thoughts.

I turned to look at him and forced a small smile. "I'm here, Mission Control."

He sat on the bed beside me. "What's occupying that gorgeous mind of yours? You were out somewhere around Pluto just now."

He was obviously still worried, so I patted his ultra-muscular arm gently. "Just everything with this case. I'm not used to being out on the road like this. And there is just so much data on those drives. My brain is overwhelmed."

His hand came up to cover mine on his forearm. "I know this whole 'fieldwork' thing isn't your cup of tea. What can I do to help make it easier?"

I squeezed the firm muscles beneath my hand. "You're doing it, Love Bug. Just being you helps. Unless you can get my bed here. Then _absolutely_ do that. Otherwise, just be here."

His responding smile was wide and genuine. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

We sat as we were for another moment before he moved to stand. "Budge over. Let's find some rerun of some sitcom we've seen a thousand times and see if we can't turn that brain off so you can get some sleep."

Somehow, he always knew just what I needed. As he retrieved the remote, I scooted over to make room for him on the bed beside me. We quickly agreed on a 'Friends' marathon and he settled in next to me, an arm looped around my shoulders as my head rested on his.

* * *

><p>"No. Absolutely not. No way. Hotch, you aren't seriously considering this, are you?" I could tell my Baby Boy was heated even before I opened the door to the conference room and saw his face.<p>

"Considering what?" I couldn't help but be curious as to what it was that could have gotten him all _that_ worked up.

Derek had yet to look in my direction. Instead, he was still glaring at Hotch, apparently still awaiting his answer.

"Considering it, yes. Agent Parish has made a valid point." Hotch's returning stare was as even as his tone of voice, giving nothing away.

"Considering _what_?" A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach indicated they were talking about something having to do with me, so I figured I had a right to know what it is.

"You better tell her, because I'm sure not." Derek crossed his arms firmly over his chest, leaving no room for any question as to his seriousness.

Hotch turned to me (finally) and motioned at the seat closest to me. "Garcia, thanks for joining us. Have a seat."

I obliged, but didn't relax into the chair. The fact that Derek was prowling around like a caged tiger wasn't helping either. "Okay, I'm sitting. Will someone please tell me what's going on?"

Hotch and Parish exchanged a long look before the latter began speaking. "I'm having trouble locating an agent with anywhere close to the technical skills you detailed. I have plenty of tech guys, but none of them have any field experience. So, I proposed that we might have to send in an analyst with agent backup. Then I mentioned if we were going that route we might want to see if you'd be willing to go in because you're obviously the most qualified."

I'm pretty sure I actually stopped breathing for a minute. They wanted to send _me_ in undercover to find a murderer. I forced myself to suck in some air as Hotch chimed in.

"It's completely up to you. And _if_ you go in, you will be within visual range of an agent at _all_ times. I'll send our team and Parish's in to wander around under the cover of recruiting for the bureau."

Oh crap. Now they were all three looking at me. Derek had stopped pacing and now he leaned over and placed his face a half foot from mine. "You don't have to do this Penelope. They _can_ find someone else."

Parish thought I was the best person for the job. She had said so. And Hotch wouldn't have allowed her to suggest it if he hadn't agreed. As for my Knight in FBI Body Armor, his overprotective side would prevent him from agreeing even if he thought I was the _only_ person for the job.

I drew in another calming breath then locked eyes with Bossman. "I'll do it."


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Sorry I haven't replied to reviews. I normally would have done that yesterday, but I spent the whole day with a massive migraine. Hoping it goes away because my future brother in law's ebook was published today and I can't wait to read it!

MN: For the link to said Ebook, please see our profile. In an effort to help promote purchases, we have a special offer for our FF.N friends. Facebook message us a screenshot of your purchase confirmation from Amazon (please mark out any personal details for your safety) and we will write you a oneshot story with any criteria you would like (as long as we know the fandom). If you don't have FB or aren't comfortable using that option, please PM us for an alternative proof of purchase verification.

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><p>Derek was mad at me. Like really, super, über mad. He hadn't said as much, but he didn't have to. He had stormed out as soon as I'd made my declaration to Hotch and I hadn't seen him since. He hadn't gone to dinner with the team and, for the first time since we'd arrived in Cleveland, he hadn't accompanied me back to the hotel.<p>

I had already showered, slipped into my jammies, and been curled up in bed moping for nearly an hour when he _did_ decide to appear. When I heard the lock click, I rolled away from the door, hoping he'd think I was asleep. I didn't want him to know how much his anger had upset me. And I didn't want to talk to him either.

"I know you're awake, Baby Girl."

Well drat. There went that plan. Oh well. So what if he knew I was awake? Didn't mean I had to answer him.

"Come on, Goddess. You're not supposed to stop talking to me, remember?"

"I can't right now 'cause I'm mad at you." Oh double drat! The words escaped me before I could remember that I was trying to ignore him.

"_You're_ mad at _me_? What the hell?" Great. Now this was going to turn into a thing and I really didn't think I had the energy to have a thing.

"I'm not going to fight with you, Morgan. So if you would please just leave me alone, I'd like to get some sleep." I yanked my blanket up and over my head. There. Thing deflected.

In the ensuing silence, I actually managed to find a glimmer of hope that he really was just going to drop it. And then, a moment later, my glimmer disappeared, along with the blanket I was hiding under.

He was standing over me, looking very stern and angry and...hurt. Why the hell was _he_ hurt? I was the one who had the right to be hurt! "Go away, Derek."

"Oh no. You don't get to 'Derek' me and I run off with my tail between my legs. You and I, we are going to talk, _Penelope_." He plunked himself down on the bed next to me.

Now I was _really_ mad. "You don't get to tell me what to do! I don't answer to you."

"I may not be your boss, but I am your best friend. I'd say that earns me the right to know why _you_ are mad at _me_." He was staring at me expectantly.

I knew there was no way I was getting away with anything less than telling him and I was tired and cranky and tired of being away from home. So, I let him really have it. "I'm mad at you because you're mad at me for no good reason!"

I expected an eye roll. Or maybe a sarcastic come back. I absolutely did _not_ expect Derek Morgan to deflate right before my eyes. Everything softened: his posture, his face, and his voice. "You think I'm mad at you?"

I pushed myself upright, completely lost. "Of course I think you're mad at me! I agreed to go in undercover at the convention and you stormed off and then you wouldn't talk to me for the rest of the day! What else am I supposed to think?"

His head dropped, his gaze settling on the floor. "I'm not mad at you. Parish: yes. Hotch: absolutely. But not you."

"Then why did I get the cold shoulder all day?"

He sat for a few minutes. Still and silent. Tense and withdrawn. All together, very un-Derek like. When he finally replied his voice was soft. "You didn't get the cold shoulder. I was avoiding everyone. I don't like feeling this way, and I sure as hell don't want anyone else to know about it."

Usually I considered myself fluent in Morganese, but we were definitely having a breakdown in communication. "What way is that?"

Another few minutes of silence before a reply so quiet I almost lost it in the ambient noise of the room. "Scared."

Great. Every time he answered a question I was getting _more_ confused instead of less. "Scared? You're Derek Morgan. You're not scared of anything."

He was still staring at the carpet, but he increased his volume to a reasonable level. "That's not true. There's two things I'm terrified of. One is that I'll lose you. The other is that there will come a day that I won't be able to protect the people I care about. You agreeing to go in undercover on this assignment brought those two scenarios crashing together. _That's_ why I reacted the way I did."

Few things were capable of truly shattering my heart anymore, but an emotionally vulnerable Derek certainly did the job. I leaned forward to grasp his hand with mine. "Oh, Pumpkin! Why don't you just _tell_ me these things? I could have told you hours ago that you're stuck with me because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you and the team will keep me perfectly safe."

His opposite hand came up to cover mine. "I wish I had the same confidence in myself that you do, Baby Girl, but I just don't."

I added my free hand to the top of the pile. "Well then, it's a good thing I have enough for both of us, isn't it?"

There. It was barely a twitch, but a saw it. A smile. "I guess so."

I squeezed both of his hands with mine. "Well I know so."


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Thank you to all who have reviewed! I'm sorry I haven't replied. This turned into one of those crazy busy weeks.

MN: I'm completely responsible for the way this one ends. I'd say I'm sorry, but I don't want to lie to you fine folks.

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><p>I was most definitely nervous. I had managed to make it through setting up my booth before the nerves had kicked in, but now they were in full effect.<p>

"Calm down, Beautiful." Derek's voice was low and soothing in my ear.

I gave a very slight nod and took a deep breath. Employers were starting to work their way into the room. Some were making beelines to particular booths. Others were wandering through, looking around but keeping their distance.

I managed to spot Rossi, Kate, Parish, and a few other agents. They were scattering strategically throughout the room and wasting no time in approaching booths identified as analysts either through their registrations or the displays.

My own backdrop bore the name 'Lucia Quincy' and identified me as a remote access securities and firewall programmer. I forced myself to take my eyes off my protectors and focus on the prospective targets of our unsub that were milling about.

For three hours I made eye contact, smiled, chatted, and demoed the software I had hastily written the previous day, all while trying not to let on that I was a complete wreck.

Since most everyone else had emptied out of the room to go get lunch, I decided to pack up the pair of laptops I had been using and retreat to the hotel room JJ had procured for me upstairs. I was so focused on what I was doing that I didn't hear Derek approaching until he spoke to me.

"Darn, am I too late for a demonstration?" I looked up to find him standing just opposite my little table from me, a grin on his face.

Since the guy two booths down from me was still securing his tech as well, I decided to play along. "Just going to grab a bite to eat. I'll be back shortly."

His grin widened. "Well now, that's even better. I don't think the FBI has much use for remote access programmers, but I certainly enjoy having lunch with a beautiful and intelligent woman."

I had to suppress the urge to laugh. "Are you asking me out, Agent..." I made a show of leaning over to squint at the ID badge hanging from his belt. "Morgan?"

He did let out a chuckle. "I suppose I am, Ms. Quincy."

I zipped the case containing my laptops shut and raised it from the tabletop. "Well, I suppose I will have to accept. I may not be the particular type of nerd the FBI is looking for, but what girl in her right mind would turn down lunch with a handsome agent?"

* * *

><p>My face hurt from smiling so much all day. Trying to sell yourself was hard work. I sank down on the edge of the bed and slipped my shoes off, glad to be off my feet after a long day. A long, <em>fruitless<em> day. I sighed and flopped backwards.

"Don't you go getting discouraged on me, Princess. It was just the first day. This is a five day conference." Derek set my laptop case on the dresser delicately.

"I know. I just expected we would have at least had a teensy tiny little lead today, Angel Fish." No one had given more than a passing consideration.

Derek shrugged. "Sometimes undercover ops work quickly. Sometimes they don't. Tomorrow is another day. For now, what do you say we order room service on Parish and watch a movie?"

Now _that_ sounded promising. "You don't have to meet up with the others?"

He shook his head then began shedding gun, badge, and handcuffs. "Nope. I already debriefed with Hotch for the day. I'm all yours."

That elicited a genuine smile from me. "Well, in that case, I get to pick the movie."

As the credits to 'The Princess Bride' scrolled on screen, Derek stretched then stood. "I should head back to the other hotel."

I nodded dejectedly. I was really much more comfortable knowing my Knight was around to protect me, not five miles away.

As usual, he seemed to read my mind. "There's going to be a couple of agents wandering around all night. And I will be back downstairs in the morning. Now, come do the bolt behind me."

As he gathered his hardware from the dresser, I reluctantly got out from under the nice warm blanket and padded across the room. Just as his hand reached for the door a soft but firm knock from the other side caused him to snatch it back.

We shared a look, both clearly surprised by the visitor. Thankfully, Derek was much better at thinking on the fly than I was and he quickly ducked into the bathroom, closing the door just as another knock sounded.

I took a deep breath then reached for the door handle.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I am so sorry this didn't get up this morning. I went grocery shopping last night and the whole thing was a disaster so I got to bed late which made it impossible to get up even earlier to post. Then after work I ran errands and cleaned house and make a calzone from scratch. Tomorrow's chapter will be up later as well, but that's Sebastian's fault.

MN: Umm, so AJ set aside time a couple of days ago to write the Sunday chapter and...well...I just couldn't perform. Complete and total writer's block. I will get through it if I have to stay up all night though, I swear!

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><p>I left the latch bolt on the door done, opening it only an inch. On the other side stood a man I vaguely recognized as having stopped by my booth early in the afternoon. He hadn't said much. Rather, he'd stood in the background as I demonstrated my programs to someone else.<p>

"Can I help you?" I figured maybe he had the wrong room.

"Ms. Quincy, I'm sorry to intrude, but I wanted to speak with you somewhere we wouldn't be overheard. I may have a job proposal for you."

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have even considered letting him in. But, since I happened to have an FBI agent in my bathroom and a microphone in the button of my blouse, I decided to go for it. "Just a second."

I closed the door to undo the latch then opened it fully. I stepped back and motioned him inside. I closed the door behind him and followed him in to the room.

"Thank you. Let me introduce myself. My name is Trenton Marcus." He fished a business card from his pocket and passed it to me. "I'm with Sudworth Enterprises."

I studied the card carefully, but it looked genuine. "Sorry, but I've never heard of it."

He nodded. "That would be because we're a fairly small outfit. We have, however, recently secured our first government contract. As such, we are performing a complete security overhaul. I'm looking for someone to revamp the protocols for remote access to our systems."

I fidgeted with the card in my hands. "That sounds very intriguing, but why not just approach me downstairs?"

"Our government contract hasn't been made public yet. Officially, I'm here looking for a couple of mid level database programmers. It's one thing for me to casually watch your demonstration, but it would seem suspicious to a few of our competitors if I was to appear too interested." He stepped slightly closer to me, but not so close as to be intrusive. "I'd very much appreciate a copy of your resume, and an authorization for a full background check. From what I saw downstairs today, I think you may be just what we are looking for."

I nodded. "Sure. I don't have a paper copy of my resume up here. They're all down at my booth, but I could email you one."

He smiled. "My email address is on the back of that business card. I'll have a bellhop bring you the authorization forms in the morning. Is eight alright?"

He could have proposed five and I would have agreed. This had definite prospect as our target company. "Sounds good. I'll have that resume in your inbox by the time you're back to your room."

He reached out to shake my hand firmly. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Quincy. I look forward to reading your credentials."

"The pleasure was mine, Mr. Marcus." I stepped back to the door to see him out. I had barely closed it behind him before Derek came barreling out of the bathroom.

"Way to go, Baby Girl. You got us a lead!" He was grinning like the cat that got the canary.

I allowed myself a single moment of pride before I spun toward the dresser. "I have to get him that resume. And I should start looking into what types of contracts Sudworth got from Uncle Sam."

Derek was at my side in an instant, unzipping the laptop case for me. "Resume: yes. Research: no. You need to get some sleep. You still have to play your part tomorrow."

As he set the laptop down on the table, I sat before it. "We need to know if they're going to have access to the kind of information that would be worth killing over."

He leaned down over me as I pushed the power button. "Yes, we do. But Hotch can have someone dig into that tomorrow. He pulled in another analyst. Besides, it won't take much doing to get the records. We should be able to ask nicely for them."

He had a point. My particular skill set wasn't going to be needed for that. I agreed and quickly sent off an email containing a digital copy of the fake resume JJ and I had built for me to use. By the time I had shut the computer back down, I was crashing. Hard.

I had been up late the night before digitally backstopping myself. I needed to make sure that Lucia Quincy would look legitimate if anyone checked her out. Since I'd spent the night before that working on the programming I needed for display purposes, I was exhausted.

I showed Derek to the door, once again assuring him I would thoroughly lock it behind him. I made quick work of showering and changing and was already settling into bed when I got the text confirming he'd made it back to the team's hotel safely. I tapped out a short reply then clicked out the light.

I was nearly asleep when the thought came slamming into my mind. If Sudworth really _was_ the target for our unsub, I had just securely landed myself in position as his competition, and that was a very dangerous place to be.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: I'm actually pretty pleased with what Sebastian managed to come up with here, and in quite a short amount of time. We're under a blizzard warning so if work is closed tomorrow, I get to spend the whole day writing!

MN: I want to still be writing, but AJ insisted on a Skype break with her bestie. Hmph!

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><p>After two more days of no progress and little sleep, I was exhausted and frustrated. We were halfway through the convention and seemed no closer to rooting out our unsub than when we had started. The analyst backing up the team had managed to get enough information to know that Sudworth's government contract might just well be worth someone killing to get their hands on, but DoD was keeping the specifics of the deal quiet, so we had no idea <em>who<em> might stand to benefit. I was getting very discouraged, and I wasn't used to feeling that way.

Derek could sense how I was feeling and had insisted we order dinner in at my hotel and relax. He'd even picked up a bottle of wine to help me relax. After we had placed our meal order from a local Chinese restaurant Parish had recommended, he'd poured me a glass and insisted it and I go take a long, hot shower while we waited.

I managed to finish half the glass before spending a ridiculously long time under the nearly scalding spray, and the other half disappeared while I turned the blow dryer on my hair and donned pajamas. By the time I was ready to abandon the steamy bathroom, I was feeling decidedly more mellow.

I retrieved my empty glass and opened the door, my appreciation for my hunky best friend already rolling off my lips. "Sugar, you have _no_ idea how much I needed that. You are truly a benevolent demigod."

As I stepped out, Derek cleared his throat, garnering my attention. Standing beside him was Trenton Marcus. I could feel my cheeks light on fire. "Mr. Marcus...I'm so sorry. I wasn't expecting you."

To his credit, the man looked about as embarrassed as I felt. "It's my fault for intruding. Agent Morgan here was kind enough to let me in."

Derek casually moved closer to me, his arm slipping around my waist. "I also made sure he is aware that he bears no competition from the FBI for your _professional_ attention, Gorgeous."

My blush deepened at the obvious implication of his statement, but I focused on my guest. "What can I do for you?"

He seemed perfectly content to talk business. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but I was wondering if you might be available tomorrow morning before the convention opens? My boss would like to do a short video interview with you and get a demonstration of your software sample."

A quick squeeze of the hand Derek still had on my waist told me his opinion on the subject. "Sounds good to me. When and where?"

"I've booked a small conference room on the second floor, room C-9. Is seven thirty too early?"

Yes. Seven thirty was _way_ too early. "Not at all."

Marcus smiled. "Great. I'll arrange for the hotel to send up some coffee and pastries. All together there are three applicants we are interested in, so it may take a bit, but I'll make sure you're all able to be in the convention center by nine."

"I'll be there. Anything I need to bring other than my software?" I was already mentally running through a few tweaks I wanted to get made to the program before the meeting.

"Nope. But we will be doing a screen-share so it might be easier if you bring the program on a drive and use my laptop."

I nodded, appreciative of the warning. Most programmers wouldn't let a stranger peek in on their system, even for a job. "I'll do just that. Thanks."

As he had at our first meeting, Marcus shook my hand firmly. "Thank _you_ Ms. Quincy."

Derek saw him to the door, closing and locking it behind him before turning to me. "You were great!"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "No thanks to you! Putting me on the spot like that with a stranger!"

He chuckled, which only further irritated me. "It was what I could come up with on short notice. I thought the knock was dinner. I had to say something quick to explain why I was in your hotel room, and I figured it would be better if he didn't think he was competing with a government agency for you."

Drat. He had a good point. "Fine. But just for that, I'm picking the movie again, and it _will_ be some mushy chick flick."

His smile faded. "Umm, Baby Doll, I think the movie may have to wait for tomorrow. I've got to call Hotch then we've got to get you briefed. You do realize that if Sudworth is our unsub's target then one of the other two applicants you'll be meeting tomorrow is likely our guy?"

And just like that, the last bit of my mellow mood was gone as my stomach plummeted to my toes. "Actually, I hadn't realized that. Oh frack."

Derek stepped closer to me and placed his hands on my arms. "It'll be fine. We'll be watching and listening from just down the hall. Hotch will make sure of it. And the unsub won't risk doing anything anywhere public. You will be perfectly safe."

Everything he said made sense, but I couldn't help the anxious feeling twisting in my gut. "I guess so."

He used his hands to pull me to him, wrapping me in a hug. "Well, I know so."


	14. Chapter 14

AN: I did have a snow day yesterday, so I got Thursday's chapter written and I've started on Saturday's. I'm very super motivated to keep working on this fic, not only because I love reading everyone's reviews, but also because my next ficcie will be written with a writing software I'm super geeked to try.

MN: If she thinks she's excited to try Scrivener, I'm about 1000 times more so. Can't wait to play with all of the cool features!

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><p>It was a borderline miracle that I hadn't thrown up. While Derek had initially managed to calm me down, the ensuing briefing the night before had served to stir my nerves up again. The very idea that I may be preparing to walk into a room with someone who had killed six people in cold blood gave me the urge to take a bleach shower.<p>

It had been just after midnight when Hotch had decided everyone was thoroughly ready for whatever my morning meeting would hold and shut down the video chat. I had insisted to my Prince Charming that I was fine and he should head back to his hotel, then proceeded to spend half of the night alternating between improving my code and pacing my room.

At six, a bellhop had delivered a case containing the surveillance equipment I was to truss myself up with and I had set to work. I didn't have much available in the way of clothing choices, but luckily most of it was pretty professional. Usually, I was the one to take my time getting ready, but I found myself done at seven sharp with nothing left to do but worry.

"_Hey, Sexy Thing, you got your ears on yet?" _Even Derek's voice in my ear made me jump.

"Yeah. I'm wired up like a Christmas tree. Can you hear me okay?" I had taken care to make sure the microphone wasn't visible, but I wasn't quite sure if the placement would muffle the sound.

"_Loud and clear, Sunshine. You alright?"_

No. Absolutely not. I was so far from fine. "Just peachy. Does your tech guy want to test out these cameras?"

"_I would say 'as long as you're decent', but we've already established that you and decent are complete opposites."_ His attempt to distract and cheer me up was noble, but useless.

"I've got camera 1 in a pin on my jacket. Try that one first." I made myself stop pacing so they wouldn't know just how nervous I was.

"_Camera 1 is a go. Lovely view of the curtains."_

I moved to stand in front of the mirror by the door. "Try cameras 4 and 5."

"_Damn Baby, did you really manage to wire not one, but two cameras into your glasses in an hour?"_

I took that to mean it was working. "But of course. I started with the one but you could kind of see it so I did the second to make it look like part of the frames."

"_That big giant brain of yours is incredibly sexy."_

"If you think that's smart, check out camera 3." I turned around quickly, my back to the mirror.

"_Alright Ms. Thing, where is it?"_

I grinned to myself, proud to have stumped him. "What? No comments on the 'do?"

"_It's a bun. It's nice, but not really you."_

I laughed and smiled harder. Derek genuinely liked me for who I really was and I loved him for it. "Agreed. Not me, but does require the use of bobby pins, to which it is easy to attach little teeny cameras. Figured I'd make it easy for you to watch my back."

"_I can handle that. Speaking of, we're already in place. That conference room you're going to is one of six that open off a shared little lounge area. We'll be on the exact opposite side of said lounge."_

"Okay." While he'd distracted me temporarily, my butterflies were returning. "I can do this, right?"

I expected him to reassure me. Instead, I got dead air. I was about to say something else when my phone rang. I grabbed it from the dresser and looked at the screen, surprised to see Derek's face on the screen. I swiped my thumb to answer it. "Did the comm go out?"

"Nope. I figured this pep talk was best done just between you and me, Princess. So everyone took their headsets off and I've commandeered a quiet corner. What's going through your mind?"

"Lover, we don't have enough time for me to put it all in to words. In summary, I am equal parts nervous about this interview, which is ridiculous because I don't actually want the job, and about potentially being in close quarters with a killer, which is also ridiculous because he won't touch me in public and you'll be close by." Just saying it aloud calmed the churning in my stomach.

"It's not ridiculous to be nervous. What is ridiculous is for you not to believe you can handle being nervous like a champ. You are smart, gorgeous, and make a great impression on everyone. You have endured more than anyone should ever have to and come out an even more beautiful person."

Was it a wonder women threw themselves at Derek Morgan's feet? "Thank you, My Sweet."

"Feel better?" I could hear the cocky smile on his face and it made me grin.

"You know I do. The Morgan charm is an infallible force."

"It helps when I'm speaking the truth. Now, suck in a couple of deep breaths through that pretty mouth of yours and get your sexy self out the door."

That earned him a chuckle. "Yes, sir, Agent Morgan, sir."


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Thanks to all of you who continue to read and review. This week has been a long one at work so we haven't had the brain capacity to reply.

MN: She's not kidding. She's totally brain dead at this point. 2 more days...

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><p>When I arrived outside of the conference room, I wasn't alone. A stereotypically geeky looking guy was sitting in a chair, looking nervous.<p>

"_Baby girl, try to get us a clean shot of his face. It'll make the ID easier."_

I had to force myself not to nod in response to Derek, instead stepping closer and extending my hand. "Hi. I'm Lucia Quincy. You here for Sudworth too?"

He stared at my hand for a moment before taking it, looking up at me as he shook it. "Nicolas Sterling." He wasted no time releasing his grasp. "And yes. Mr. Marcus popped his head out a few minutes ago and told me to wait out here."

"_Got the shot. Good job."_

"May I?" I indicated the seat next to him and he nodded, so I lowered myself into it. "So, do you have any idea who our third competitor is?"

"Nope."

A stunning conversationalist, this guy was not. I let us lapse into silence as we continued to wait.

It was seven twenty-eight when the final interviewee arrived. Unlike Sterling, this man didn't scream programmer at first glance. He was dressed in a suit more fitting of an executive than a geek and everything about him seemed cocky, from his smile to his walk.

He came right up to me and cranked the smile even more, thoroughly giving me the creeps. "Well good morning, miss. Are you Mr. Marcus's assistant? I'm Thomas Preston. He should be expecting me."

"_Easy, Princess. No bloodshed."_

Derek didn't even have to see me to know the man's presumptive attitude would have boiled my blood. I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes. "Actually, we're _all_ waiting for Mr. Marcus. I'm not his assistant, I'm your competition."

Preston let out a sharp chuckle. "Sure you are, sweetheart."

Luckily for the jerk, Marcus chose that moment to emerge from the conference room. "Ms. Quincy? We're ready for you."

I rose to my feet, grasping my portfolio, and side stepped around the offensive bubble of Preston's cologne to follow Marcus.

* * *

><p>The interview had gone smoothly, and once done I swung by my room to pick up my laptops before heading down to the convention space. I was nearly done setting up when a voice behind me made me spin.<p>

"Lucia?" Ingrid Wesley was one of the few other 'professional type' female programmers I had met throughout the week. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay. I was just in the zone." Honestly, I was still on edge from meeting Preston. He had really given me the heebies.

"I know that feeling. I just wanted to ask if you had plans for tonight. A few of us are going to get together for dinner and drinks. Blow off a little steam. Thought you might like to join." Her smile was genuine and I was really touched that she had thought to invite me.

"Oh, well that does sound like fun." I was desperately trying to think up a good excuse to decline.

"_Garcia, you should accept. One of them might have met someone this week that could be our unsub."_

As he usually was, Reid was right. But I had hesitated long enough to give Ingrid the impression that I didn't want to go. "Do you already have plans with Mr. FBI?"

My cheeks flushed and I stuttered.

Ingrid, however, chuckled. "Oh come on! You don't think we haven't noticed the number of passes he makes by you every day? Or that he keeps going to lunch with you? Plus, Carina's room is across the hall from yours and she says he's been there every night."

My blush deepened and I hung my head. "It's not what you think."

"I hope it is! That is one _fine_ specimen of manhood. But, if he's standing between you coming out tonight, bring him with you. A couple of the gals have significant others here with them, so it's not a girls only thing."

I was beyond mortified. So very far beyond mortified.

"_Garcia. Say something."_ Laughter. There was laughter in the background behind Reid.

"I'm in. Don't know about Agent Morgan though. I'll have to see."

"_Oh he'll be there. Hotch just made it an order." _More laughter.

Ingrid's grin grew impossibly. "Great. We're going to meet in the lobby at six. Gives us a chance to all go upstairs and change after the convention shuts down for the day."

"Okay. See you then." Thankfully, she bounced away, leaving me to be mortified in peace.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: So, despite this week kicking my butt, I managed to get both this and tomorrow's chapters written. Then, I'm sitting at work, minding my own business, sitting 10+ minutes between calls (because, it's Friday night) and BAM! Plot bunny attack. Thankfully I had the notebook handy and scratched out the start to Tuesday's chapter while getting paid to do so. That's about my only win for this whole week so I'll take it!

MN: I just don't even know how to express this week. Monday was a snowed in, dig out day. Tuesday was screaming idiots day. Wednesday was technology failure day. Thursday was a combination of screaming idiots and tech issues. And yesterday was idiots (thankfully not screaming) day. There isn't enough caffeine in the world to have made this week okay. But, apparently getting screamed at causes plot bunny attacks so enjoy the fruits!

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><p>I was feeling almost as nervous about going out with the other convention attendees as I had about the interview that morning. I cut out of the convention a little early, so by the time Derek got to my room, I was already in the process of going through my limited wardrobe selection and having absolutely no luck.<p>

"I can't do this. I don't have anything to wear."

As he shut the door, he had the audacity to chuckle. "Baby, we're going out with a whole bunch of other professionals. It'll be fine."

How could he say that? "It is _not_ going to be fine!"

He sighed as he walked over next to me, surveying the clothing laid out on the bed. "Okay, what's wrong with the black dress?"

Men. "It's boring and a little too dressy for this kind of outing."

He shrugged. "So wear that kinda pinky orangy sweater to dress it down a bit."

My jaw dropped. "Okay, first of all, the color is called salmon. And second, you're a genius."

He smiled smugly, flashing his pearly whites. "Hey, Baby Boy's got style. Thought you knew that."

I smiled back at him then began collecting the accessories I needed to go with the outfit. "I knew you had style, but I didn't realize that your fashion expertise expanded to attire of a more female nature."

"I'm a man of many talents. Now, get that fine backside of yours changed. You can ditch the wire. It'll be useless at a crowded restaurant or bar. But leave the glasses cam. At least we'll be able to pull facial rec if someone tingles our Spidey senses."

"Whatever you say, Peter Parker." I carried my armload to the bathroom to start the transition from professional to party professional.

When I reemerged it was to find a shirtless Derek Morgan sitting at my desk, the case of surveillance gizmos open in front of him and his shirt in his hands. "Umm, Love Bug, while I'm sure Ingrid and the girls would _love_ if you showed up topless tonight, I'm fairly sure that that's a health code violation at most restaurants."

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny. I'm trying to attach one of these button cams but I can't figure it out."

"Well, mon cher, you're in luck. I've become an expert at button cams this week. Budge over."

* * *

><p>I had successfully gotten Derek wired up in time for us to meet up with the others in the lobby. The group collectively agreed on a nearby restaurant and we walked the few blocks there. Because of the convention, the restaurant was busy and the ten of us ended up squished around a table built for eight.<p>

I was wedged in between Derek and Ingrid's friend Carina. Everyone mostly talked business as we received our drinks and placed our dinner orders. Just after the waiter disappeared, I felt Derek's phone buzz against my hip. He fished it out and glanced at the screen.

"Sorry, I've got to take this. It's my boss." He carefully extracted himself from his seat and headed for the door.

Once he was out of earshot, Carina leaned in close, a grin on her face. "So dish! What is Agent Charming like behind the badge?"

If I was going to have to spend my night embarrassed, I was taking Derek down with me. "Oh he's a big old teddy bear. Complete opposite of the macho bravado he shows off."

Her smile widened. "Sounds dreamy. Does he have a brother?"

I chuckled. "Sorry, just sisters."

She deliberately pouted. "Darn. I would love to get me some of that bloodline."

I couldn't help but laugh again. "You and the entire female population of the DC metro area, I'm sure."

She nodded and took a liberal sip of her drink before lowering her voice. "So is this just some convention fling, or maybe something a little bit more?"

"Oh, this is definitely something more." Neither of us had noticed Derek return to the table until he spoke just behind us.

Carina blushed at having been caught talking about him, but Derek was unphased as he took his seat. He casually took a sip of his beer before laying his arm across the back of my chair. "This girl is something special. I don't want to let that get away."

Apparently our companion overcame her embarrassment, curiosity overruling her sense of decorum. "Where do you live Lucia? Because I'm assuming he lives in DC."

This was the easy part. I had spent so much time backstopping my cover that answering was easy. "I'm in Richmond right now. I work in the DC area a lot. The commute can be a total pain, but it's doable."

She nodded and turned her gaze upon Derek. "And you're not intimidated by the fact that she's probably way smarter than you?

I couldn't believe that someone who was, in essence, a stranger was being so forward but my Sugar Cakes just smiled wider and shook his head. "Hell no. I find intelligence very sexy in a woman."

Oh thank goodness! Our waiter was fast approaching with appetizers, effectively disrupting all conversation at the table and saving me from death by embarrassment.


	17. Chapter 17

AN: So I wasn't even home most of yesterday, and I got Tuesday's chapter done and Thursday's started. You guys are absolutely blowing us away with the reviews. Thank you all so much for your support. There just aren't words to properly express how much your kind words mean to me.

MN: I'm not sure if you guys know, but reviews are like caffeine for muses. Your notes are total fuel for me. Thank you all so much for being so positive and uplifting about this story! On a side note, we know this chapter is a little shorter than the rest, but the next one is extra long to make up for it so just hold tight!

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><p>Despite my initial discomfort at dinner, the evening was actually turning out to be fairly fun. After dinner we had made our way a few doors down to a bar. While Derek and I were both nursing our drinks, most of our companions were imbibing liberally.<p>

I somehow found myself alone at the clump of tables we had taken possession of. The two other couples in our group were engaged in a highly competitive game of pool, a few of the single ladies had procured themselves dance partners, and the last was challenging my Hot Stuff to a game of darts, which he was deliberately letting her win.

"Well, fancy seeing you here." I didn't have to turn to know who that smarmy voice belonged to, but my eyes confirmed the assessment my ears had made. Preston was grinning his arrogant grin at me from across the table.

"Do you want something?" This guy was a royal class jerk and I was no longer wearing a wire. I was going to be a jerk right back.

I wouldn't have thought it possible, but his grin got even slimier. "Just to buy you a drink, sweetheart."

"Guess it's not your night then. I'm not thirsty." Ha! His epically fake smile faltered a moment at that one.

"Well then, how about a dance? You look like a girl who knows how to use her hips." Drat. This guy just didn't give up on being a royal butt, did he?

"Hey, who's your friend, Baby Girl?" Baby Boy to the rescue! He stepped up close beside me, looping an arm around me and dropping a kiss on my temple.

"You're here with _him_?" Preston's grin was officially squashed.

"A bunch of us came out together." Derek stretched his hand out over the table. "Derek Morgan."

Preston shook his hand reluctantly. "Thomas Preston."

"Well, Thomas, if you'll excuse us, my girl owes me a dance and I came over here to collect."

Generally I would have objected to dancing in public in general, and doubly so with Derek, but this time I let him take me by the hand, help me slide from my stool, and lead me across the bar. Thankfully the song was a slow one, more suited to the type of dancing that wouldn't result in me injuring myself.

My Knight in FBI Standard Issue Body Armor pulled me close, one hand clasped with mine and the other at the small of my back, rocking us slowly to the music. "That guy is a total sleaze bag."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "No kidding. Thanks for the rescue."

Half of his mouth twitched up into a smile. "Any time, any day for you."

As always his smile was contagious and one settled onto my face. "So did the analyst come up with anything on him?"

And the smile was gone again. "Nada. Name is a fake so he's running facial rec. Should have something by morning."

"Who uses a fake name to apply for a job. He's _got_ to have a record." I chewed lightly on the inside of my bottom lip.

"I think that's a given. Guess we'll find out tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm just going to enjoy scratching this off my bucket list after ten years." His smile was back, but my confusion made it less catching.

"What are you talking about, Love Bug?"

That elicited a laugh. "Dancing with you. I've been trying to get you to shake your grove thing with me in public for a decade, Angel. Closest I've come before was JJ's wedding."

"Well don't think this sets a precedent. This was an extreme circumstance requiring extreme measures." Now a grin did sneak its way onto my lips.

"I'll keep that in mind." Derek's gaze focused somewhere over my shoulder and his eyes narrowed slightly. "We still have an audience."

"Audience?"

He flicked his eyes toward the table from which he'd rescued me. "Mr. Greasy. He's still watching us."

I heaved a heavy sigh. "Lovely. Peeping Tom. Literally."

An impish glint crept into Derek's eyes and smile. "He wants to watch, what do you say we give him a show?"

"Define 'show'." If he thought I was about to get my Dirty Dancing impression on, he had another thing coming.

"This." Derek used the hand he had resting on the small of my back to pull me forward as he dipped his head and brought his lips into contact with mine.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: So over weekend we managed to bang out this chapter plus two more and Sundays is in the works already too. While I'm very excited about this, I'm not so excited by the lack of sleep. We're getting close to the climax of our story so buckle in for the ride!

MN: She keeps letting me loose on the computer and I just can't stop myself! I figured out kinda how the next part of the story is going to go so now I want to get it all written!

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><p>Derek Morgan had kissed me. And not just some little peck either. No, this kiss had been deep and full of tongue.<p>

I managed to avoid having to process it on the spot by the sudden appearance of Ingrid, telling us the group was moving down the street to a different bar. Somehow I managed to maintain a smooth exterior as we donned our jackets and joined the flock.

Bar number two was louder and more crowded, making conversation nearly impossible, and I was thankful for it. I firmly planted myself in a chair. There was _no_ way I was going to risk getting dragged out to dance again.

Luckily for me, the rest of our companions had been drinking far more than Derek and I, so it didn't take too terribly long for the lot of them to be ready to go.

The next time I found myself alone with Derek, we were outside my hotel room. Carina had just entered her own room and I was digging in my bag for my card key.

"You want me to come in and tuck you in, Princess?"

Oh frack. No. Bad idea. I had to think of something quick. "Not tonight. I just want to hit the hay." I swiped my key and opened the door.

Derek stepped forward into the doorway, preventing me from shutting him out. He leaned in close and kept his voice low. "Your neighbor is watching us again, Gorgeous. We don't want to break our cover, do we?"

Oh double frack. I could tell it was coming this time, but I was still completely helpless to stop it.

He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me against him. Out of pure instinct my hands came up to rest on his arms, steadying myself. He lowered his head and brought his lips to mine. This time, his mouth's assault was slower, but no less deep and far more intense.

He kissed me until my lungs burned for air. When he finally withdrew his voice was low and husky. "Goodnight, Baby Girl."

And just like that, he was gone.

I retreated into my room, nearly forgetting to bolt the door behind me. I quickly swapped out my glasses for a pair that _weren't_ being monitored, then got changed. My brain was complete jello. I needed to climb into bed and pass out soon if I had a prayer of trying to process this day.

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><p>I was still in shock when I woke up the next morning. In my defense, <em>Derek Morgan <em>had _kissed_ me. Twice! What woman wouldn't be a bit surprised?

Somehow, I actually managed to get myself ready to face the day, including outfitting myself with my various surveillance tech. I skipped the button cam since my glasses were still wired, donning those instead.

I was nearly ready to head down to breakfast when my phone chirped. It was a text from JJ asking me to video conference with the team. My laptops were already packed up to go downstairs, so I grabbed my tablet from the nightstand and pulled up a video chat.

JJ was sitting front and center, flanked by Hotch and Parish. "Hey Garcie. Sorry to interrupt your morning routine."

I smiled at her. "No biggie. I was about to go grab breakfast. What's up?"

Hotch leaned in closer. "We got an ID on 'Preston'. His real name is Milton Stevens and he's got a record. He's been investigated for stalking over a dozen times, convicted twice, and is currently wanted as the prime suspect in a rape investigation."

My smile had faded pretty quickly. "So, my slimeball radar was dead on. Do you guys think he's our unsub?"

JJ shook her head. "We can't be sure, but we can't find anything that would indicate what he might want from Sudworth."

Hotch was nodding in agreement. "Our guts say it's not him. He doesn't fit the profile. A guy like that isn't going to have the attention to detail to manage to leave no evidence in the heat of the moment."

Made perfect sense to me. "So, are you going to snag him on that warrant?"

It was Parish who shook her head this time "Nope. We're going to keep him under surveillance. I'm working on getting a warrant so we can access his room and get bugs with trackers planted on his clothes. We won't be able to lose him. He's still going to be a target for our real unsub so he may help draw them out."

Hotch's face was even more serious than usual. "In the meantime, try to steer clear of him. He's dangerous and unstable. Morgan is going to stick closer than he has been to you to be sure you're safe."

Great. That was _just_ what my muddled brain needed. "Sounds like a plan. Did we get anything back on anyone else?"

JJ took back over. "The folks you went out with last night all came back pretty normal. No background in the types of software Sudworth is interested in. Sterling is a Boy Scout. No record. Not even a parking ticket. History of low to mid level programming jobs. Nothing remarkable at all."

I sighed and forced myself not to roll my eyes. "So we're back to square one."

"We hope not. Marcus reserved that meeting room again for this evening. We're going to get cameras and mics in before he picks up the key. We're hoping it's a second batch of possible new hires." Hotch pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen then looked back to me. "Morgan's on his way up to your room to go to breakfast with you."

Just lovely. "Well then, I shall bid you adieu, my lovelies." I disconnected the chat and returned my tablet from whence it came. I gathered up my things as quickly as I could and exited my room just as Derek was walking down the hall.

I met him halfway and he turned to walk with me back toward the elevator. "What's the hurry, Baby Girl?"

I forced a smile onto my face. "No hurry. Just hungry."

He punched the button to call the elevator then leaned casually against the wall. "You talk to Hotch?"

I nodded. "Yup. I'm up to speed on the King of Creep."

His face was unusually solemn. "I'm going to stay close by downstairs. I'll be keeping an eye out for him, but if he gets close without me noticing, you have to let me know. I want you to pick a mayday word. Something you'd be able to use in regular conversation, but something you can avoid too."

"I'll figure something out by the time we're done eating."

"Good." Further reply was interrupted by the arrival of the elevator car.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: So I haven't made more writing progress this week, but it's alright. It's supposed to be bitterly cold this weekend so I will slap on some warm jammies and fuzzy socks and write my fingers off.

MN: Thank you guys for all of the reviews. Over 100 already. Wow! Sorry we haven't replied, but we really do appreciate and read each and every one.

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><p>"<em>Hey, Ms. Thing. I'm on my way to you. Why don't you start packing up?"<em>

Derek's suggestion was pointless. I had already started shutting my computers down. I was _so_ ready for this day to be over. I just wanted to go back to my room and spend some time in peace and quiet.

I needed to put some distance between myself and Derek. He had been hovering all day. And he was so touchy. The physical contact was driving me nuts. Playing with my hair, holding my hand, touching my face. I needed some time off.

"Almost ready, Pretty Girl?" He had come up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. Again, with the touching!

"Just about. I can't wait to get up to my room and just veg out." I wormed free of him and slid my laptops into my bag.

"Sorry, but that's going to have to wait. Tonight's the convention mixer and Hotch wants us to go mix." He kept his voice low so he wouldn't be overheard.

My heart sank. Another public appearance meant playing the 'couple' with Derek again. "Do we really have to?"

He nodded and reached over to grab my hand. "Sorry, Baby. But we've only got two days of convention left to try to root out this unsub."

I didn't even try to hide my sigh. "Alright. We better go drop this stuff off and grab dinner then."

He picked up my bag before I could do so myself, leaving his right hand intertwined with mine. We spent our trip to my room in silence, but that changed quickly once inside.

"Alright. What's wrong?"

His question took me by surprise and I froze in the midst of reaching for my bag. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired."

"I'm calling bullshit on that one. Something is definitely wrong. You're quiet, withdrawn, and you haven't used one damned nickname on me all day. Not one 'Baby Boy', 'Chocolate Thunder', 'Angel Face', or anything else for that matter. Did I do something to upset you?" His expression was pained and it made me feel guilty.

I stepped toward him and brought my hand up to his cheek. "You didn't do anything wrong, My Prince. I'm just feeling the stress of this whole case. I've never been undercover like this before. It's messing with my head." It was messing with my heart too, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

He covered my hand with his and turned his face to kiss my palm briefly then used his hand to guide mine down before responding. "I know it can't be easy for you, Princess, but that's what I'm here for. You can talk to me about anything, you know that."

Oh frack. Now he had me feeling like I was about to cry. No tears, no tears. "I know. It's just kinda hard to put exactly what's going on in my head to words."

"Well when you figure it out, tell me, okay?" He waited for me to nod in agreement then smiled softly. "Good. Now, you get yourself ready. Parish told me about a place to get a great pho and I know you love it. I was thinking we could grab dinner there."

My Prince Charming. Derek was not a particular fan of pho, but he was going to take me anyway, just because I was. I smiled, still biting back tears. "Sounds good. Are we going audio equipped tonight, or video only?"

"Leave yourself wired up. Don't know if we'll get decent quality on the audio, but Hotch wants us to try."

* * *

><p>Despite the fact that the convention threw a good party, I was bored out of my mind. I had been 'mingling' with other programmers all night, and desperately avoiding StevensPreston. He'd managed to find me twice already when Derek had been otherwise occupied.

I was alone again now while my White Knight slipped away to check in with the team, so I was keeping my eyes peeled for Slimey McSlimerton. I was so focused on looking for him that I hadn't even noticed Sterling weaving his way through the crowd until he was speaking to me.

"Hello again."

I spun around to face him, relaxing when I realized who it was. "Oh, hi! Nicholas right? How are you?"

He looked completely uncomfortable being in a room with so many other people. "I'm fine, thank you. I was wondering if you had heard anything back from Mr. Marcus yet."

I shook my head. "Not yet. You?"

He shoved his hands deep in his pockets. "Nothing yet."

I shrugged casually. "I think he had a few more people to interview so I'm not surprised. I'm sure he'll get back to us soon."

"Probably." He shifted his weight from foot to foot. "So have you had any other offers? Something that might be more interesting than what Sudworth has on the table?"

I had to give this guy serious bonus points for effort in the socializing department. "Nope. I'm really kinda counting on it to keep this whole trip from being a bust."

"Oh." He stood awkwardly for a few more moments. "So, umm, have a good night."

"You too." I watched as he slipped away into the masses.


	20. Chapter 20

AN: Sorry I'm getting this up so late in the day. I allowed myself to sleep in and then snuggle in bed with my kitty. Time to get my hind end in gear though so I can have a chapter done for tomorrow!

MN: She's been too tired all week for me to really write. Today, she doesn't sleep until a chapter is done!

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><p>By the time we finally made it back up to my room, I felt like every nerve ending in my body was on fire. When he had been near me, Derek had been touching me constantly. I really needed some time to figure out what the hell was going on inside my own head.<p>

Derek had come in to remove his button cam and wire and I had gone to change while he was doing so. When I came back out he was sprawled out on my bed, the TV remote in his hand.

I stopped at the desk to remove my earwig and swap out my glasses as well as depositing my mic in the open case then walked over to the bed and looked down at him. "Comfy?"

He pushed the power button, turning the TV off. "Just entertaining myself waiting for you."

I hitched an eyebrow upward. "Waiting for me for what, Angel Face?"

He looped his eyes theatrically. "To talk to me about how you're feeling. You haven't been yourself all day and I'm not leaving until we get to the bottom of it." He stood up before me quickly and took my hands with his. He guided me to sit down on the edge of the bed, even as I began my protests.

"I'm fine, D. I'm just not used to all this is all. I really just want to get some sleep."

My objection was blatantly ignored as his pulled the desk chair over to sit in front of me. "You may be a lot of things, but right now fine isn't one of them. You need to tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours, even if you don't think it makes sense."

The look on his face told me I wasn't going to get out of this without coming at least partially clean. I just had to be careful about _how_ clean. "Fine. For one, there's the fact that we are, essentially, using me as bait for a serial killer. And I know I'm in direct contact with the team at all times, but that doesn't make it completely not scary to be deliberately luring a psychopath."

He nodded and leaned forward in his seat. "That makes perfect sense to me, Sweetheart. You already know I'm not a huge fan of the entire thing either. Anyone with half a brain would be wigged out in your position. But that's been bugging you from the start. What else is going on?"

I focused my attention on my hands, absently picking at my nail polish. "I don't like lying to people. For one, I'm terrible at it. And for two, it makes me feel skeezy. Ingrid and Carina and the others are really nice and I'm lying to them. And Marcus, he's legitimately looking for someone to beef his security and I'm wasting his time."

He reached out to cover my hands with one of his "I know it's not easy. The lying is the hardest part of any undercover assignment and you've never trained for this. You just have to focus on the fact that you're trying to protect the folks you're lying to and that it would blow the entire thing if you were upfront. I know that doesn't make it feel any better, but it gives you a light at the end of the tunnel."

I finally lost it and tears started slowly sliding down my cheeks. "I haven't gotten to just be me in almost a week. I feel like I've been Lucia Quincy twenty-four hours a day the last few days. I miss just being Penelope Garcia."

Before I had even registered that he had moved, Derek was sitting on the bed next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side. "Hey now, you've been Penelope Garcia this whole time to me."

I shook my head, rubbing my cheek against his shirt. "No, I haven't! I haven't even been able to be me around you because someone is always watching and so we're both playing the part." I was crying harder now, teetering on the edge of a full meltdown.

His arm tightened around me. "Silly Girl, it doesn't matter what we're showing off to anyone else. You and I are always just us."

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><p>My eyes hurt before I ever opened them, a definite after effect of my crying jag the previous night. The pain was the first thing I registered as I slowly pulled out of sleep. The second was exactly how warm and comfortable I was. The third was that I wasn't alone in bed, and <em>that<em> realization was what propelled me fully into consciousness.

Despite the ache, I opened my eyes. Derek was looking back at me, obviously having already been awake for a while.

"Good morning, Sunshine." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Morning, Hot Stuff." My smile faded as I realized just how bright it seemed in the room. "What time is it?"

He reached over to brush an errant lock of hair from my face. "A little before nine."

I shot upright. "Nine! The convention opens at nine! What happened to my alarm?"

Derek propped himself up on his elbow and I noticed for the first time that he was shirtless. "Calm down. I turned it off. I also let Hotch know you were going to get a bit of a late start today. He was fine with it. Being an hour late getting down there won't hurt anything. You didn't fall asleep until after Midnight, and you were pretty upset last night. A good night's sleep was important."

His explanation only calmed me marginally. "I still would have preferred to be on time." I slid out from under the covers and started gathering my attire for the day.

He rose as well, revealing that he had been clad in just his boxers, and moved to the chair where he'd draped his clothes. "It's fine. Really. Take your time getting ready. Order breakfast. The team is downstairs whenever you get there. I've got to run back to my hotel for a shower and clean clothes then I'm going to check in more thoroughly with Hotch, see what last night yielded."

"Fine. But don't expect me to dawdle." I escaped into the bathroom as he pulled his pants up over his hips.


	21. Chapter 21

AN: Sebastian is requiring that I tell you that it's my fault this time. What it is that I'm at fault for will become apparent to you soon. Just keep in mind, that I'm also responsible for how nice and long this chapter is.

MN: You guys are SO gonna kill her! I took a nap and woke up and wanted to strangle her myself...

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><p>"<em>Hey Sweet Thing. I've got things to tell you so dinner and I will be meeting you in your room.<em>"

I knew Derek had to be somewhere in the vicinity if he was talking to me, but I hadn't actually seen him since he'd left my room that morning, which surprised me. I was already shutting my systems down, so it didn't take long for me to be ready to head back upstairs.

I was really hoping Derek's 'things' were progress in our case. We only had one day to go at the convention and our unsub was still on the loose. When I entered my room he was already there, clearing off the little desk.

"Hey Gorgeous. Why don't you ditch the tech while I finish setting up?"

How could a girl resist an offer like that? I set my laptop bag down on the dresser then removed my earbud and wire. When I turned around, Derek was behind me, my other pair of glasses in his hand.

"Thanks, Love Bug. Almost forgot about those."

He smiled as I swapped them out. "I'm not a fan of the idea of letting Reid stare at me while we eat. He's already been looking at me weird all day." He reached out his hand to me. "Madam, your table is ready."

I let him lead me to the desk and guide me to the chair. He pulled the room's second chair over from the vanity and lowered himself into it. He had set the table with paper plates and plastic silverware and cups, but the food was still in the bag he'd brought it in. "I'm glad you brought dinner. I skipped lunch after that late breakfast. I'm starving."

"Well you're in for a treat. One of the guys on Parish's team told me about this little teeny Italian restaurant run by this little teeny old Italian couple and they have hooked us up."

He reached into the back and pulled out two foil dishes. He took the lid off the first and then set it on my plate. "Eggplant Parmesan for the lady."

Two plastic bowls followed and he once again took the lid off one and set it before me. "Their house salad with the best vinaigrette I have ever tasted."

Again his hand disappeared into the bag, this time emerging with a foil wrapped package. This he set between us and opened. "Made from scratch breadsticks. From the three that Mama Baldovini forced upon me while I was waiting for our food to be ready, I can assure you they are better than Rossi's. And, to wash it down..."

This time his hand dipped below the edge of the desk, returning with a bottle of wine. "A wine whose name I can't pronounce but have been assured is the perfect pairing for your entree."

I knew he had deliberately done this to cheer me up. Italian and wine were my go to comfort dinner, and he was obviously trying to help ease my stress. The gesture made my heart clench in my chest and I had to blink back tears. "This is amazing. Thank you, Sugar."

He paused fiddling with the corkscrew I hadn't even noticed was sitting on the desk until he'd picked it up. "Hey, nothing's too good for my girl." He gave me a wink and a grin then went back to opening the wine.

As he wrestled with the cork, I opened his food containers. Once we both had liberal pours of red wine in our clear plastic, hotel issue cups, I picked up my fork. "So, what was it you needed to tell me?" I took a bite of the salad and hummed in appreciation. Derek had been right about the vinaigrette.

"We may have a lead. One of the guys in the second batch of applicants has been doing a lot of traveling to the Middle East lately. He's got a decent amount of debt piled up too." He paused for a bite of his own salad before continuing. "Reid and I spent the day going over everything the analyst could dig up on him. Seems like he might fit our profile. Parish has a team trailing him."

My shoulders instantly felt a hundred pounds lighter. "Good. Hopefully we'll dig something up on him before this time tomorrow and we can close this case and just go home!"

He raised his wine with a grin. "I'll drink to that!"

I lifted my own cup to tap his then took a cautious sip. "Oh my word, that is amazing."

Derek's grin widened. "I'm glad you like. Now, enough about work. We're going to eat this amazing smelling food and watch a movie and just in general let you just be Penelope tonight."

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><p>Dinner had been excellent. When we were done, Derek had me hook a laptop up to the room's TV while he cleaned up. He put on 'Stuart Little' but we mostly talked through the entire movie, not really discussing anything in particular. When the credits were rolling, he shooed me into the bathroom to take my shower.<p>

Once I was free of dirt and makeup and adorned in my pajamas, I returned to my spot at his side and he started the next movie. He knew 'Wall-E' was one of my all time favorites, and that was no doubt the reason for his choice. As he set the wireless mouse on the nightstand, I noticed a white styrofoam container was sitting there as well.

I poked him lightly in the side. "What's that?"

He reached for the container, as well as the pair of spoons sitting beside it. "That, Princess, is dessert. And while there is _no_ chance it's as delicious as you, after how good dinner was, I have high hopes for it being a close second."

He opened the lid to reveal an enormous piece of tiramisu. He handed me a spoon and we both proceeded to dig in. The confection was the best I'd ever tasted and between the two of us we somehow managed to eat the entire thing. Derek deposited the empty container and the spoons back on the nightstand then relaxed back, settling in to watch the movie.

By the time the credits were rolling, I was snuggled firmly into Derek's side feeling like I'd pretty much had the perfect night, and that bothered me. I had long ago told my muddled emotions that he was my best friend and nothing more, but having spent most of the last week pretending to be his girlfriend had convoluted my carefully segmented feelings.

He sighed heavily, dragging me from my thoughts and I pushed back to look up at him. "Something wrong?"

He shook his head. "No. Just guess I better get going. Don't want to keep you up past your bedtime again."

"I guess so." I tried to keep my disappointment from my voice and face as I moved to let him up then stood to follow him to the door. "Thanks for tonight. I really enjoyed it."

He slid the cellphone he'd just picked up from the dresser into his pocket, leaving the handcuffs and gun as he bent to pull his shoes out from below. "The pleasure was all mine." He straightened and stepped into his shoes then bent again to tie them.

"Maybe half yours, but not all. I got some of that tiramisu too."

My quip had it's desired effect and he smiled. "Alright, Ms. Technical. The pleasure was _half_ mine. But I always get the bigger half."

I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as he attached his cuffs and gun to his belt. "I'm sure you do."

I followed him the rest of the way to the door, expecting him to open it and nearly crashing into him when he didn't, turning to me instead. "Get some sleep, okay?"

I placed my hand on his chest, patting lightly to reassure him. "I will."

He wrapped his arms around me, hugging tightly. "Goodnight, Silly Girl."

I slid my own arms around his middle, hugging back. "Goodnight, Crazy Boy." It was easy to feel his muscles stiffen with him holding me that way, so I pulled back to look at him. "Ok, something is wrong. What is it?"

He was staring at me hard. "Everything."

Before I even had time to think about questioning him, his head lowered. For the third time in as many days, he kissed me, and this time he wasn't putting on a show.


	22. Chapter 22

AN: I am a cruel individual, I know. But most likely no one is reading this. Most of you probably skipped right to the good stuff...

MN: This chapter is more my fault. SorryNotSorry.

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><p>Once again Derek Morgan was kissing me, but this time, he wasn't doing it as part of our cover. This time, it was just he and I, hotel room door firmly closed.<p>

His lips were gentle on mine, the kiss soft and tender. At least, that's how it started, until I tightened my fingers where they rested on his hips. In an instant his tongue had coaxed my lips open and was stroking against my own.

I'm not sure when one of his hands had left my back and wound its way into my hair, but there it was, at the back of my head, providing him with leverage to deepen the kiss further. The hand he still had resting on my back applied pressure and I leaned into him even as my lungs were screaming for air.

A low rumble emerged from his chest and he ripped his mouth from mine, allowing us both to suck in much needed breath. "God, Woman. Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

I wasn't given an option of replying as his mouth crushed back against mine in fervent need. My hands slid up his taut abs and chest to wrap around his neck of their own volition, providing my own leverage.

The hand that had been in my hair dropped to my lower back, pulling me flush against him as his tongue explored every corner of my mouth. I rose to my toes to give him better access. A moment later his other hand dropped from between my shoulders to my rump, squeezing firmly.

I couldn't help the groan that escaped my mouth and directly into his and this seemed to propel him into motion. Suddenly I was being walked backward toward the bed I had just left.

As my calves hit the mattress, the hand still on my back dropped to my derriere then both slid to my thighs and he lifted me for just a moment, but with surprising ease. In another moment I was laying on my back, Derek above me.

His lips left mine to trail down my jaw as the hand he wasn't using to support himself came to rest on my waist, just underneath the hem of my pajama top. His fingers brushed against bare skin, causing my skin to ripple with goosebumps.

Just as his mouth reached my neck, his phone ringing in his pocket cause us both to startle. Derek cursed harshly as Hotch's ringtone played and he rolled to the side, fishing the offending electronic device out.

He flopped to his back beside me as he roughly slid his thumb on the screen to answer it. He was obviously trying to get his breathing under control as he brought it to his ear. "What?"

Whatever Hotch said drove Derek to his feet instantly. "Where?" He paused to listen. "Okay, I'll be right there."

I sat up as he rounded the bed, still breathing heavily. "What's going on?"

He shook his head. "They just found Stevens. He's dead. Hotch needs me down there." He reached down a hand to me and I took it, allowing him to pull me to my feet. "Bolt the door. I'll let you know when we know something."

"Okay." I followed him to the door much as I had a short while before, this time hand in hand with him.

At the door he turned and bent to kiss me quickly. "This isn't over, Penelope." He gave my hand a squeeze before releasing it and slipping through the door.

I secured the latch then shuffled into the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. I needed to regain my senses in case the team needed my help. Once my overall body temperature and heart rate had come down a notch, I got busy unhooking the best of the laptops I had with me from the TV and setting it up at the desk.

Just as I was settling down before it, my phone rang and I punched the button to answer it on speaker. "Speak to me Super Agent. What can I do for you?"

I could hear a flurry of noise in the background behind Rossi. "Hey Kitten, can you tap into the hotel's security system and access the cameras on the tenth floor. Specifically any that have an angle on room ten forty-two. That's our suspect's room. Agents have him going in at just after eight. Can you make sure they didn't miss him coming back out?"

"On it. Back with you in a jiff." I tapped my phone to end the call and got to typing.

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><p>Ninety minutes later we knew absolutely nothing. I had managed to get filled in by JJ. Stevens had been found by a maintenance worker in a part of the convention center that was under renovation. He had received a single gunshot wound to the back of the head and likely died instantly. The area and its entrance had no working cameras. Since the convention had emptied for the day, there were no witnesses in the convention areas.<p>

I had gone over every bit of footage outside room ten forty-two. I could clearly see a man enter just when the agents had said he had and he had only exited once, crossing the hall for ice and returning immediately.

Once I'd reported that to Rossi, I had switched my focus to the convention center cameras. I wound back to the end of the convention day and found Stevens at his booth. I then followed his movements from camera to camera. Up to his room to change. Back down to the hotel restaurant, then down the escalator to the convention center and into a hall with no coverage. I rewound on that last camera, going back hours, but no one else had gone through that door except hotel staff and I could clearly see all of them exit it before Stevens had ever gone in.

I was tired and frustrated and still more than a bit confuddled by what had happened with Derek that evening, so I gave in to my favorite addiction and called room service for a carafe of coffee. They told me it would take about fifteen minutes so I went back to scanning through footage until a knock sounded at the door.

I grabbed my purse as I went to answer it, fishing for a few bills to tip the poor employee who had to trudge up here at nearly one am just to caffeinate me. I was still digging as I unlatched the door and pulled it open.

"Thanks. You can set it on the desk." I stepped back to let him enter as I finally located my wallet in my oversized bag. Just as I withdrew it, the man in the hallway stepped in, quickly pressing something to my face. The only thing I managed to catch as I went down to the floor was a glimpse of the door closing before blackness descended.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: So we're on a push to try to have this completed within a week. Starting next Thursday, life gets hectic for a month (Comicons to help my friend sell his book, nephew's birthday party out of town, etc) so we won't be able to keep up the posting schedule. I'm going to write my fingers off this weekend and if I manage to get everything written, I will post daily until it's up. Motivate me!

MN: This story has been a lot of fun. It's our first casefic so it's been a struggle at times, but we enjoyed it immensely. Thank you all again for all of your reviews. They mean so much to us!

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><p>"This wasn't the deal. I was supposed to get the job. You were supposed to get anyone in the way out of it. I didn't sign up for kidnapping."<p>

I couldn't place the voice. Whomever it was that was speaking was keeping their voice low and my head was pounding.

"My orders changed. She is plan B, in case you fail." The second voice was heavily accented and making no attempts to be quiet.

"She is dating one of those FBI agents. He's going to come looking for her and he strikes me as the 'shoot first, ask questions later' type." I could tell now the first voice sounded familiar, but I still wasn't connecting it with a face.

"Those Agents will be tied up for hours. They probably won't know she's missing until morning. By then she and I will be far away. You are sure she was the last one who was better than you, yes?"

"I'm sure."

I cautiously opened one eye. The room was fairly dark and my throbbing head appreciated that. I slowly opened my second eye. The room spun for a moment before coming back to a standstill and I was able to take stock of my situation.

I was sitting in a chair. My hands were bound together behind me and a quick attempt to move them confirmed that the binding was attached to the chair. I was secured at each ankle as well. In short, I had absolutely no chance of removing the gag from my mouth, let alone getting free.

I looked around carefully. I was in a hotel suite. Most of the normal furnishings were missing and there were paint cans stacked by the wall. It must be being refurbished. The carpet below me was the same pattern as the one in my room, so I guessed I was in the same hotel.

Before I could notice anything else, footsteps behind me alerted me that my captors had entered the room.

"I am going to get the car. Stay here and watch her. She should be awake soon. Make sure you keep her quiet." The door opened then shut and I could only assume Accent had left.

After a moment of pure silence the other man approached me. "Hey, you awake?"

It hit me just as he stepped into my eyeline. My second captor was Nicolas Sterling. Quiet, geeky, boy scout clean record Sterling was responsible for the deaths of seven programmers.

My surprise must have been clearly written on my face. "Yeah, yeah. Me. Look, I know that stuff he knocked you out with leaves you with a cotton ball for a tongue. If I take that gag out to give you some water will you not scream? Won't do you any good anyway. This whole hall is empty."

I nodded. He was right, my mouth was incredibly dry. Plus if I could talk to him I might be able to get him to let me go.

He reached behind my head and untied the rough fabric circling into my mouth. He stepped over to a small table and dropped the gag on it and picked up a bottle of water. He twisted off the cap as he moved back to my side and bought the bottle up to my lips. I gulped it greedily, relieved to finally be able to move my tongue with ease.

When I'd had my fill, he recapped the bottle, returning it to the little table. He reached for the gag so I knew I had to start talking fast.

"Nicolas, please, why are you doing this? I heard you talking to that other guy. You said you didn't sign on for this."

He paused, hand outstretched then turned back to look at me. "I don't have a choice. These guys are very serious and very dangerous. If I don't do what they say, they won't hesitate to kill me too and I quite like living, thanks."

"How'd you get messed up with all of this?"

He sighed. "You've met me. I have no 'people skills'. I'm a decent programmer, but I always get passed over for the good jobs for people who have less technical ability but interview better. I'm sick of it. So when I got a job offer with a hefty payday from overseas, I decided to take it. If this country doesn't want to appreciate me, I'll take cash from someone who does."

A part of me actually felt sorry for him. More of me might have done the same if he wasn't responsible for me being strapped to a chair.

"I really do feel terrible about this, Lucia. You were so kind to me. But you're also as good as me. Possibly even better. No way Marcus chooses me over you." I heard a faint buzzing and he pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the screen before returning it then reached behind himself to retrieve the gag. "Sorry but this has to go back on."

I didn't fight against him. It was pointless. As he secured the knot at the back of my head I heard the door beep and the lock click. I forced myself to take a deep breath. My best bet was going to be to remain calm.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: I'm going to crack down today and tomorrow on writing to see if I can get most of the rest of this story hashed out, or at least enough to have next weekend preloaded so JenJen can publish it for us. We shall see.

MN: Someone has to save me. We're spending the weekend next weekend with AJ's "big sis" and the two of them are nuts! Help!

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><p>I once again found myself regaining consciousness with a pounding head and a parched mouth. I struggled to bring my mind into focus and recall what had happened. Accent guy had returned, said something to Sterling then...<p>

Nothing. He must have knocked me out again at that point.

My surrounding began to sink in slowly. I was cold. The air had a musty quality to it. I dared to open my eyes, once again finding myself in a dimly lit space. By the look of it, it was an abandoned warehouse.

I could hear voices approaching, but couldn't quite hear what they were saying until the door at the opposite end of the building opened.

"Fine. But I want nothing else to do with this. She's your responsibility." Sterling glanced my way before grabbing a bag by the door and exiting once again, closing me in alone with Accent.

He looked at me as he approached, much in the same way the team did when they were trying to profile me. Years of experience with them had taught me well how to turn my face into a blank slate and I tapped into that now, hiding everything except my fear. I don't think I could have covered that up if I tried.

He approached me slowly, keeping silent until he was only a few yards away. "I am going to remove the gag. You are not going to scream. No one will hear you if you do, but I have a headache. Understood?"

I nodded quickly and he stepped forward, reaching forward to roughly pull the gag out of my mouth and down so it lay around my neck. I struggled to free my tongue inside my mouth as he continued to study me, seemingly waiting to see if I would indeed keep quiet.

"Water?" The word came out strangled, a side effect of my dry moth and throat.

He produced a bottle of water from somewhere and allowed me to drink my fill. Once my tongue was moving freely I focused on trying to gather as much information as I could. "What are you going to do with me?"

Accent shrugged. "That depends. If Sterling manages to achieve what he promised, you will take a little trip with me. Once he is done and out of the country, I see no reason why you cannot be freed. If he fails, _you_ will help us get what we want. Then, you will die. Cooperate and you die quickly. Resist and it will be slow and painful."

The fact that he was able to be so nonchalant about my possible impending death turned my blood cold.

_Come on Derek. Where's my Knight?_

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><p>Despite the discomfort of my bindings, I had managed to doze off. I was still feeling the effects of whatever it was they had used to knock me out. As the sun was starting to rise I had given in to the burn and closed my eyes.<p>

I woke with a start when the door to the warehouse slammed. I was able to focus my eyes in time to see Accent locking the door behind him with the hand that _didn't_ hold a gun. He hurried across the space to me and roughly yanked the gag up into my mouth. "You will not make a sound."

He pulled out a pocket knife and freed me from the chair, leaving my hands bound behind my back. Once the knife was back in his pocket, he grabbed me roughly by the back of my pajama top, forcing me to turn around.

I hadn't been able to see that end of the warehouse before, but now was being led toward a windowed office. I could see another door on the opposite side of it and assumed that's where we were headed.

As I was shoved out roughly into the sun I could hear what had caused our sudden exodus. Sirens in the distance, getting closer. My heart rate slowed, knowing my team was on their way to me.

Accent pushed me toward a car a few yards to the left and my feet stung as the gravel I stood barefoot on dug into my skin. Before we could reach the sedan, dark SUVs sped around both sides of the building and screeched to a halt. As soon as they were at rest, the doors burst open and FBI agents poured out.

My captor had backed up nearer the building, pulling me closely in front of him. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped completely when he pressed the barrel of his gun to my temple.

"Drop the gun and let her go." Hotch approaching from the SUV to my left, his gun trained on Accent.

"You okay, Kitten?" Rossi was to my right, his gun also at the ready.

I nodded slowly and shallowly, terrified that a sudden movement might cause the gun against my head to be fired.

"You're surrounded. You aren't getting out of here. Lower your weapon and let her go and you won't die today." Reid was a yard behind Rossi, his weapon out but not pointed in my general direction.

"You will back off or I will kill her." He pushed against my head with his gun to emphasize his point.

"You know we can't let you go. If you kill her, we'll shoot you. You are at a significant disadvantage here." Reid was standing almost straight before us now, slowly moving toward Hotch.

Accent yanked me roughly, angling our bodies toward Reid and backing toward the door slowly. "I am prepared to die. Is she?"

Suddenly, he stiffened behind me and for an instant I was sure I was going to die. Then I heard what had to be the most perfect sound in the world.

"If you so much as twitch, your brains will be all over that wall before they can even _think_ of firing that gun." While threats of violence normally made me uncomfortable, in that moment there weren't any more beautiful words that Derek could be speaking behind me.

"So, what's it going to be? Messy or clean?"


	25. Chapter 25

AN: So we totally forgot to share with you guys, PCA results are in. We scored "Best JJ/Morgan" for "The Substitute" and runner up for "Best JJ/Reid" for "Seams". Thank you guys so much for voting!

MN: Yes, thank you all. Now, on with the show because the plot bunny that attacked me last night is still nibbling on my ear and the faster we post the faster we get to writing!

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><p>"You ready to get out of here?" I didn't notice JJ in the doorway until she spoke and it made me startle slightly.<p>

I recovered and nodded. "Yes please."

Hotch had insisted I allow paramedics to take me to the local hospital. After several hours of being poked, prodded, and blood tested, I had finally been released, but was forced to wait for a pickup.

I slid from the bed onto my feet gingerly. Both soles had 'minor abrasions' from the gravel I had been standing on. I was incredibly lucky. Scratched up feet, bruised wrists, and a killer headache were nothing compared to what could have happened.

"I brought your slippers from the hotel." Sure enough, my hot pink bunny slippers were dangling from her fingertips.

"Thanks." She dropped them on the floor and I stepped into them as she took the bag of supplies the hospital had given me from my hand.

Somewhere along the way I had inherited a jacket with an FBI logo on it and I zipped it up as I followed JJ through the maze of the ER.

"We moved your stuff back to the hotel the rest of us are at. We should be able to head home tomorrow." She pressed the button to open the door out of the Emergency department.

"Good. I don't think I could stand going back to the convention hotel." The very thought made my gut twist.

The rest of our walk to the black SUV she had brought was made in silence. I know JJ had to be itching to question me and I was immensely grateful that she was resisting the urge.

Once we were in the car and on the road she did ask a pair of questions. "Do you want to stop for something to eat? Because if they didn't feed you, it's been twenty hours by Morgan's count since you guys had dinner last night."

In truth, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to hold down food, so I shook my head. "I think I'll order room service at the hotel. I just want a shower."

"Okay. Did we need to stop and pick anything up for your feet?"

I shook my head. "No. The hospital gave me some gauze and tape."

Her mumbled acknowledgment was the last sound either of us made until we were at the hotel. JJ walked me to my room and pulled a keycard from her pocket, handing it to me. There was a chair sitting next to the door and I pointed at it and raised an eyebrow.

"Rossi thought you might be a bit more at ease if there was an agent close by. One of Parish's guys volunteered. He should be over any minute. I'm going to stay until he gets here but then I need to go back to the office."

I nodded as I unlocked the door and pushed it open. True to JJ's word, my bags, minus the surveillance tech, were sitting on the bed I had occupied before going undercover. I crossed to it and dug through to gather what I needed for a shower.

"You want me to order you something to eat while you shower?"

Much as I wanted to object, JJ was using her 'mom' voice and I suspected that declining wouldn't be wise so I shrugged. "Sure. Something simple though. My head still hurts and my stomach's a bit wonky."

She smiled at me and I knew I'd made the right choice. "Alright. I'll order it and tell them to leave it with the agent at the door so you can take your time in the shower."

"Thanks." I escaped into the bathroom to begin the delicate process of unwrapping my feet.

I was still shampooing my hair when JJ stuck her head in to say that an agent named Tennyson was now occupying the chair in the hallway and she was leaving.

I completed my shower much more quickly than I had intended as the pain in my feet worsened. I wrapped myself in a towel with another around my hair and exited back to the room to get dressed. I pulled on a pair of charcoal pajama pants and rifled for a clean t-shirt. I came up short so I scavenged one out of Derek's bag instead.

As I was gently wrapping gauze around my feet, mostly to protect the bed sheets in case one of the cuts started bleeding again, I heard the muted sounds of voices in the hall. After a moment there was a soft knock.

"Ms. Garcia? Your food is here. Just let me know when you want me to bring it in."

I applied tape to the gauze I had just cut and crossed carefully to the door. I opened it without unlatching it, peering out through the crack. Logically, I knew I was safe, but the last time I had opened a door for room service without checking I'd been kidnapped.

A gentleman I guessed to be in his fifties wearing a suit was standing outside. When he saw me looking out he pulled his jacket back to reveal the badge on his belt. I closed the door to release the latch then opened it fully. I released the door to reach for the tray he was holding and he shook his head.

"I'll bring it in for you."

I stepped back to let him pass and he entered, crossing immediately to the small table. "Thanks."

He set the tray down then turned back toward me, smiling gently. "You're welcome. I'm Finn Tennyson. I'll be right out there until your team gets back if you need anything, alright?"

I nodded, finding myself suddenly choked up by his soft words.

He stepped back out and I closed the door behind him, leaving it unlatched so Derek could get in when he returned. I decided it was worth it to at least see what I had to eat, so I picked my way to the table.

JJ was, as always, amazing. She had ordered me pancakes, which smelled delicious. My stomach rumbled loudly so I dug in. I quickly polished off the food, as well as the accompanying cup of herbal tea.

Exhaustion slammed into me like a ton of bricks. I glanced over at my bed which was strewn with my luggage and clothes. Nope. It just wasn't happening. I pulled the curtains tight against the afternoon sun then turned off the lights in the room and climbed into Derek's bed. I fell asleep almost instantly.


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Nice extra long chapter for you. Thank you all so much for your reviews!

MN: We were struggling to write this chapter to wrap up the case. Should be smooth sailing from here on out.

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><p>It was the movement of the mattress beside me that finally dragged me from sleep. I could somehow tell immediately that it was Derek climbing in beside me. Hot Stuff radar I suppose.<p>

I turned toward him and forced my eyes open, only to be met with nearly total darkness. "What time is it?"

"A little before Midnight. Go back to sleep, Baby Girl." He reached across the space between us to brush my hair back from my face, tucking it behind my ear.

I had been asleep for almost nine hours! No wonder my head felt so murky. "Did you guys get the guy with the accent to crack?"

The hand that had moved my hair was now stroking my cheek lightly. "No. He won't either. Hardcore believer of whatever it is he believes."

"What about Sterling?" Despite what he _had_ done, he had been against my captivity.

"He sang like a bird. That's how we found you." He paused to yawn. "Sweetness, I swear I will give you all of the details tomorrow, but I've been up for forty hours. Can we just get some sleep?"

I was a little surprised that Sterling had been the one to facilitate my rescue and I was dying to find out more details, but it could wait. "Of course, Angel Fish."

Derek slid closer to me, enveloping me in his arms and I snuggled into him. Despite the fact that I had already had more than a full night's sleep, I quickly found it impossible to keep my eyes open. I drifted off again as he pressed his lips to my forehead.

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><p>The next time I woke up, Derek was no longer beside me. As I rolled over to retrieve my glasses I could hear the shower running. I was actually glad he was out of sight at the moment. It gave me time to figure out what to say to him about what had happened two nights before.<p>

I got up and rifled through my clothes as I tried to make sense of my own thoughts. After a few minutes I gave up. There was no way I was going to be able to handle heels, and any of my clothes would look ridiculous with slippers. I would just have to settle for adding under garments to my current attire and call it a day.

I had just pulled my shirt back over my head when the water in the bathroom turned off. By the time Derek emerged a few minutes later I had managed to repack my bags.

He was wearing a pair of dark jeans, slung low enough on his hips to advertise the brand of his boxer briefs but was noticeably missing a shirt. His phone was to his ear. "Yeah. We're both up... Hang on."

He pulled the phone away and looked over to me. "JJ wants me to tell you that we're meeting the team downstairs for breakfast. Instead, I'm going to ask if you're up for it."

I smiled and chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I'm up for it. Honestly, I'm up for anything involving coffee right now."

He smiled back as the phone returned to his ear. "Yup. We'll be down in a few minutes." He disconnected and slid the device into his pocket.

I waved a finger in the general direction of his torso. "Pretty sure you can't wear _that_ to breakfast."

He passed me to rummage through his bag on the dresser. "Yeah, well I was going to wear this super comfortable t-shirt I have, but it's come up missing. Come to think of it, it looks an _awful_ lot like the on you're wearing. Same color and everything."

The grin on his face was a dead giveaway to his tease. "Sorry, I was a little busy being kidnapped so I didn't get my clothes sent down to the hotel laundry. Had to scavenge."As he pulled another shirt from his bag, I located the FBI jacket I'd inherited the day before and pulled it on.

He slipped the shirt over his head and stepped to his bed to sit and don his socks and shoes. "Convenient excuse. Ya know, I used to have a jacket like that too. Disappeared at a crime scene yesterday."

I hadn't even realized that it had been Derek who had wrapped me in the jacket the day before. "You really need to start keeping better track of your clothes." I slipped into the bathroom to drag a brush through my hair and pulled it back into a pair of simple pig tails. I was definitely opting for comfort over beauty.

By the time I was done, Derek was waiting by the door. I slid my feet into my slippers and let him guide me through the door.

Breakfast started with a flurry of our teammates fawning over me until I'd told them I was fine the minimum requisite number of times. I'd been all but forced into a seat between JJ and Kate. The other side of the table held Derek, Rossi, and Reid, and Hotch was seated on the end between JJ and Derek. Once our orders were placed, I took advantage of a lull in the conversation to ask the question that was driving me nuts. "So what happened?"

Everyone exchanged glances and sat silently for a long minute before Rossi leaned forward in his chair across from me. "About an hour after you talked to JJ, I tried calling you. It wasn't like you not to answer, so I had Morgan try. When you didn't answer for _him_, he decided to come check on you. When he found your room empty he called the analyst we've been borrowing and had him pull the cameras."

Reid took over. "He found it quite suspicious that not only did room service show up with an oversized cart to deliver coffee, but it seemed to take him ten minutes to serve it, then left with the service set still on top. So, he tracked the footage to an area of the hotel under renovation."

JJ's turn. "Rossi and I went to check it out. We found Sterling in one of the rooms and he started blabbing before we could even ask. Told us all about the deal he'd made, and where you were before we had him in interrogation."

Kate shrugged on my other side. "The rest is pretty simple. We grabbed everyone with a badge we could find and headed your way."

I was slightly surprised by how uneventful it sounded. "So, what was this all about?"

"Chairs." I wasn't quite sure I had heard correctly until Hotch repeated himself. "Sudworth's big government contract is for folding chairs. From what Sterling told us, he was supposed to create a user access ID for his employers so they could track the shipments, presumably to target US Government installations across the globe."

I leaned back in my chair, now definitely shocked. I had almost died because of chairs. _Folding_ chairs. If Accent hadn't taken Derek's threat seriously and let himself be disarmed, I would have ended up with a bullet in my head because of chairs.

Luckily, our waiter showed up with a coffee pot in hand, distracting me before I could dwell any further. When he had drained the pot and fled to get more, the table resumed a more 'normal' course of conversation.

Hotch's phone buzzed as we were eating and he checked it then slipped it back in his pocket. "The jet will be ready at noon. Looks like dinner at home tonight. Morgan and Reid, you two and I still owe Parish reports before we go. The rest of you are free to do whatever you'd like, just be at the airport on time."

JJ and Kate looked at each other across me and I could almost hear their silent conspiracy. Not happening. "Hey, Super Agent, would you be willing to take me back over to the convention? I want to fill Marcus in myself and maybe say goodbye to a couple of people."

Rossi smiled knowingly and nodded. "For you, of course."


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Alright folks, I owe you an apology. I had every intent of having chapters to post this weekend written before I left this evening, but life intervened. I had set Tuesday aside as an evening to write this weekend and instead I spent it doing an emergency update on my resume. I was offered a new position at work, but only given 4 hours to make my decision, and hour after that to do the application, and my resume had to be in the next day. By the time all of that was done, I was brain dead. I will try to get one chapter up this weekend, but no promises.

MN: I had to struggle to get this one out of her last night. Almost fell asleep writing the last bit. Thanks to JenJen for the save on proofreading once again!

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><p>The few previous times I had traveled with the team, the flight home was quiet. This time, everyone was awake. While Hotch, Derek, and Reid spent the flight finishing their reports and chatting lightly, I was trapped at a table with JJ, Kate, and Rossi.<p>

As we made our landing approach, Derek realized that neither of us had our normal vehicles in the parking garage since we'd come in for this trip on his motorcycle. Always the gentleman, Rossi volunteered to give us both a ride home and I gratefully accepted. My bag needed to go home with me so I could wash my clothes and repack it and shoving my feet into my boots would have been torture.

After everyone had turned their reports in, we trudged to the garage to pile ourselves and our luggage into Rossi's pricey SUV. Derek insisted I sit up front, so he ended up climbing in behind me. "Hey, Baby Girl, would you be willing to bring me up sometime this weekend to pick up my bike? Poor thing has been sitting all lone in here long enough."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Sure, Angel Fish. We wouldn't want to place any undue distress on Your Precious."

Rossi looped his eyes theatrically as he started the engine. "Morgan, you really need to seek professional help in regards to your emotional attachments and humanization of inanimate objects."

The pair fell into a steady pattern of bickering as we drove, allowing me to check out mentally. When we arrived outside my building, I was completely expecting Derek to escort me upstairs. What I was _not_ expecting was that he would grab his own bag from the back when he retrieved mine. Apparently he was sticking around for a bit.

We entered the building and made our way to my apartment in silence. I fished my key from my purse and unlocked the door and preceded him in then closed the door behind him. As I secured the lock I heard his bag hit the floor, then the tinkle of the beaded curtain that separated my bedroom from the rest of the apartment.

I used the opportunity to take a few breaths. I knew it had to be coming. A conversation about what had happened to us at the hotel was inevitable. The problem was that, despite thinking of almost nothing else for the last several hours, I wasn't sure what I should say.

I shuffled into the kitchen to pull a couple of bottles of water from my fridge. When I turned back around, Derek standing at the end of the counter, effectively blocking my path of exit. I took a deep breath and stepped toward him, holding out one of the bottles. "Thought you might be thirsty. The air on the jet is always so dry."

He took the bottle from me and set it on the counter, then stepped closer to me and gently pulled the other bottle from me and placed it beside the first. He moved forward yet again, breaching my person space and wrapping his arms around me.

He pulled me tightly against him. Without heels on, I was quite a bit shorter than him and he tucked me in firmly under his chin. I let myself wrap my arms around his waist in return.

Snuggled tightly in against Derek's chest I felt warm, safe, and loved. But I was also confused. This wasn't anywhere on the list of ideas I had as for how the afternoon might progress.

"I was so scared that I had lost you." His voice was so quiet that if there had been any other noise in the apartment I wouldn't have heard him.

My heart clenched at his pained tone and I patted his back gently. "It's okay, Angel Fish. I'm fine."

"But I was supposed to protect you and I didn't." This was slightly louder and infinitely more distraught.

I pulled back so I could look up at him. "Derek, it wasn't your fault. You left me somewhere that was supposed to be safe. No one could have expected that our unsub would have actually gotten a job at the hotel. And you found me. You brought me home safe."

His brow furrowed further and I actually thought he might cry. "When I saw that he had that gun against your head, the only thing I could think of for a minute was that you were going to die. You were going to die and I hadn't ever had the guts to tell you how I really feel about you."

He brought a hand up to brush his fingers lightly across my cheek and his chocolate eyes darkened swirled with emotion. "Baby Girl, I love you. More than just a little bit. Trying to pretend anything else just isn't working for me anymore."

Right in that moment, I would have sworn the entire world just stopped turning. Nothing else existed right then outside of my kitchen. I bit back the lump of emotion in my throat and managed coherent words. "I love you too, Baby Boy."

As soon as the words were out he lowered his head and caught my lips with his in a tender kiss.


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Sorry I didn't get anything up this weekend guys. It was crazy busy and super fun. I'm going to try to get some writing done this week, but I am out of town again for the weekend. Please accept this peace offering.

MN: She really did try. We actually wrote half of this sitting at Comicon and the other half on a train then typed it at midnight.

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><p>I'm not sure exactly how long we stood in my kitchen, our lips gently pressed together. When he did finally pull back, he took my hand in his, retrieved our waters from the counter, and led me to the living room.<p>

He sat at one end of the couch, and I curled up next to him, snuggling into his side We sat in silence and I used the opportunity to process what had happened. Derek Morgan, playboy extraordinaire and my best friend, had professed his love for me. How on Earth had that ever happened? I guess it really didn't matter. The important thing was that it had.

"You're thinking again, Princess." His voice was low and soft.

I shifted to look up at him. "And you're not?"

A gentle smile spread on his lips. "Touché."

A grin forced its way onto my own face. "So, what is on your handsome mind?"

"That I'm really glad you didn't tell me to get out after I said what I said." He lowered his face to kiss me again, this time more deeply than he had before.

When my lungs were once again protesting a lack of oxygen, he pulled back slightly. He reached the hand that wasn't resting on my back over to my thigh. In one smooth move, he hauled me into his lap then reconnected our lips.

As his tongue delved into the corners of my mouth, I wrapped my arms around his neck. His wrapped around me as well, meeting on my side. He used the leverage to pull me tightly against him.

He withdrew his tongue momentarily and I took advantage of the opportunity to suck his bottom lip into my mouth.

Derek groaned and shifted beneath me When the bulge in his pants pressed into me, I let out a moan of my own at the shear size and released his lip to retangle my tongue with his.

One of his hands dropped from my side to my thigh, pulling my body even more forcefully into contact with his. Another long few minutes later, I was once again desperate for air.

He must have been too, because Derek pulled his mouth out of contact with mine and connected our foreheads instead, breathing heavily. "Baby Girl, you are gonna be the death of me."

I desperately wanted his lips back on mine, but managed to resist in light of my curiosity at his statement. "How so?"

He kissed me again, fast and hard and far too briefly for my tastes. "If you can drive me this crazy with a kiss, I can't imagine surviving anything else."

The implications of his words had my cheeks flushing further and my heart rate climbing. I shifted, bringing my mouth close to his ear, keeping my voice low. "You have _no_ idea, Hot Stuff."

My words had their desired effect. With a low growl, he turned his face to resume his assault on my lips. The hand resting on my side moved to slide below the hem of the t-shirt I wore. The warmth of his palm all but seared the skin of my side. My nipples tightened reflexively and I could feel moisture rush to my crotch.

I wriggled against him deliberately. His reaction took me completely by surprise. I was lifted from his lap and deposited on my feet in an instant. Moments later, he was standing as well. He grabbed my hand, leading me toward my bedroom.

I had a moment of pure panic as he pushed through the beaded curtain. I was about to sleep with my best friend. My super smoking hot best friend who was used to dating super smoking hot, skinny women.

My jitters must have been written all over my face because he froze when he turned to look at me. "Penelope, if you aren't ready for this yet, you just have to tell me. I want you. I _really_ want you, but not until you say so."

My Baby Boy is truly a prince among men. I stepped closer to him and laid my free hand on his chest. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous."

He leaned down and kissed me softly for just a moment. "Nervous about what, Princess?"

I could feel my cheeks burn in embarrassment. "Well, I'm not exactly the type of girl you're used to being with."

He brought the hand that wasn't still holding mine up to cup my cheek. "So? Baby, you are _so _beautiful, so damned sexy it hurts. The reason why I've dated the women I have is because they _weren't_ like you. It kept it from messing with my head. I've wanted to do this with _you_ since I met you." He kissed me again, tenderly and deeply.

It didn't take long for tenderness to give way once again to passion. Moments later, my shirt was pulled over my head and discarded on the floor. I slid my hands under his and pushed up his abs and chest until he pulled his off as well.

I reached for his belt buckle, but his hands flew from my back and side to grab mine, and he pulled back. "Oh no. Not yet. I've got plans for you."


End file.
